Everything Into Darkness
by Puppeteer of Hearts
Summary: "This world isn't worth fighting for. Pain and despair run rampant, and humanity longs for death. The Mother Night will come and usher in a world of stillness and silence, where humanity sleeps for eternity in a paradise of dreams. Of course, if that's assuming any are left … those Dragons seemed ravenous." [P3/FE7 crossover, M for violence and safety]
1. Ground Zero

_(October 2__nd__, 2009, Start of the Dark Hour)  
_Arisato Minato sighed, flipping through his history book as his music blared in his ears. Across the coffee table from him sat his younger twin, who played with her auburn hair as she followed his example, save for a classical literature textbook. The twins had decided to spend the night studying instead of climbing Tartarus for various reasons; they had gotten as far as they could in the block as it was, and the full moon was coming up soon. Better to stay at the dorms and rest (and get some studying done) than wear themselves out doing more tower climbing when they were confident that the next Arcana Shadow or two would be in the bag as well.

"Jeeze, it's dead." Hamuko spoke up after a moment, looking around as she pulled off her headphones when the Dark Hour hit. Minato gave a nod, grey eyes worried as he pulled his own headphones off. Both twins looked around, only spotting a girl with teal-colored hair nearby, putting aside her own studying. "Fuuka-chan?" Hamuko called out to her, catching her attention. "Is there anyone else besides us here at the dorms?"

"I think it's us, Junpei-kun, Aigis-chan, Akihiko-senpai, and Mitsuru-senpai." Fuuka gave a nod, brow furrowed in worry as she approached the twins as well. "I think Yukari-chan said she was spending a night over at a friend's house to get some studying done, and Shinjiro-senpai's out walking Koromaru."

"... Then where's Ken?" Minato frowned at that, looking around. The twins had noticed the young child acting odd the past week, and Makoto didn't like having him out of his sight for long. "If he's not asleep, then ..."

"I can do a quick scan with Lucia to try and find him, if you like." Fuuka gave a helpful smile. "I was going to keep Lucia active for the Dark Hour, just in case ..." Minato nodded at that, relaxing with a smile.

"Yeah; thanks, Fuuka." He nodded, gathering up his school supplies. Hamuko did the same thing, several extra sheets of math homework sitting next to her. "... Hamuko, is there a test in advanced mathematics you keep forgetting to bring up?"

"Nope!" The auburn twin laughed, eyes bright. "Just general homework for the night and all; y'know mom would've been upset if I didn't do my best!" Minato shook his head and smiled at that, amused. Leave it to Hamuko … "C'mon, Nii-chan, I can help you go over some of your own math notes in your room, if you want to."

"P_lease." _Minato let out a sigh of relief as the twins headed towards the stairs, Fuuka right behind them. "That's always been my worst subject, so any pointers you could give me would help." Splitting off from Fuuka when they reached the second floor, both twins kept talking quietly as they entered the room, only to blink in surprise to see a black-haired, ten-year-old boy in striped pajamas sitting on Minato's desk, worried. "Pharos?"

"Pharos, is something wrong?" Hamuko asked, worried. Walking towards the black-haired child, Hamuko looked out the window with him. "... Are there more Shadows out there?"

"I don't know." Pharos gave a sad reply, clinging onto Hamuko's arm as Minato walked over to join them. "I just feel .. something wrong going on with the Tower. Something that isn't supposed to happen in this world is beginning ..."

"You mean …" Minato's eyes widened in fear, but his response was cut off as the ground shook. "A – an earthquake!?" Grabbing onto his twin sister, Minato gripped the desk as the shockwave ceased a moment later, something that sounded like a roar echoing in the distance. The sound served to wake up the rest of the dorm, and from the sound of cursing down the hall, Akihiko had gotten bruised from a falling trophy once again.

"_Everyone! please! Come up to the Control room!" _Fuuka's panicked shout echoed through the dorm a second later, making Minato swear as he grabbed the sword he kept behind his door on the way out. Hamuko followed him a few seconds later, Pharos vanishing from his seat on the desk as he trailed behind. Two of the other doors on the floor had opened up, Junpei and Akihiko darting out as well.

The group reached the fourth floor a few moments later, finding Mitsuru and Aigis up there already, Fuuka with them. The teal-haired girl seemed panicked about something from within her Persona's protective skirt, hands clenching at her uniform blazer. _"I … there's something going on at Tartarus! All I can feel is this massive surge of energy, and it's pulsating ..." _Fuuka explained, nervous. "_I can't get a hold of Yukari-chan, Shinjiro-senpai, Koro-chan or Ken-kun either."_

At her words, a second screechrang through the air, shattering one of the windows on the fourth floor. Hitting the deck, the members of S.E.E.S stared as something large seemed to block out the moon for a few seconds, followed by sharp gusts of wind that made the tall building shake. "What on earth!?" Mitsuru stood up a moment later, Aigis right behind her. "Aigis, are you picking up anything that might help Yamagishi?"

"_Y – yes; I can sense something, but not much due to the massive power surge from the tower ..." _Fuuka was biting her lip now, brows furrowed in concentration. Aigis gave a nod before appearing to slip into a trance, scanning alongside Fuuka.

"... Unknown life-forms are emerging from an anomaly inside Tartarus." The robot spoke up after a moment, coming out of her scanning trance. "There are multiples of them, all large enough to be mistaken for the Arcana Shadows. They are most likely the source of the tremors and building damage."

"Dammit ..." Akihiko swore, belting on his Evoker as he spoke. "What the hell could be coming out of there?!"

"I don't know, but we shouldn't be staying here too much lon … ger ..." Junpei's voice had tapered out, and he suddenly ran to the window. "... Okay please tell me I'm just seeing shit!" the capped teen shouted after a moment, before standing aside and pointing. "PLEASE tell me I'm not the only one seeing that!"

Hamuko ran over first, the rest of SEES close behind. Following the way Junpei was pointing, the group stared as a large creature landed on a nearby building, large wings fanning. It was hard to make out details in the horrible lighting of the Dark Hour, but it appeared reptilian, a long neck and equally long tail balancing out the large wings. As the group stared, it let out a gigantic roar, the building shaking a bit.

"That is a fucking _DRAGON!" _

Minato felt himself pale as Junpei spoke, not knowing just how to respond. Shadows were one thing; he knew a Persona could go toe-to-toe with Shadows, and even if he wasn't strong enough to handle one, the rest of SEES was there as well to help out. But … but a _dragon? _How were dragons even exiting Tartarus!? Where did they even come from?!

Shaking his head, the blue-haired teen tried to collect himself, knowing the rest of S.E.E.S was staring at him. He was the field leader, after all … this would be his call. "... We should head to Tartarus. If nothing else, to try and get a better understanding of how this is going on." Swallowing, Minato gripped his sword tighter. "... I'm going to get my Evoker. Let's head out in five minutes."

Sighing in relief when he was met with nods of agreement, Minato gripped his sword as he strapped it onto his belt on the way down the stairs. His nerves were all tense as he went over the list of Personae he had with him, trying to see if there was one that would at least _resist _fire, let alone null it. 'Why did I get rid of Pyro Jack?' He thought to himself as he entered his room.

* * *

Five minutes later, the group found themselves racing through the streets of Iwatodai, keeping to the shadows as more dragons seemed to be flying about, roars and screeches rending the air as the beats landed on buildings with thuds, totaling some of the smaller ones while a few seemed to be flying towards the bay. Broken coffins began to litter the street, Minato himself spotting one that looked like it had been bitten in half as something went after the sleeping human inside.

One dragon in particular seemed to be chasing something; the blue-haired teen had caught sight of it flying around the main part of Iwatodai, near Naganaki Shrine. What it could be after, Makoto couldn't tell, but it seemed large …

His thoughts were cut off as they reached the gate to Tartarus, and he skidded to a halt. The front gate and doors to the tower had been destroyed, massive claw marks as long as they were all tall littering the well-kept grounds that had once belonged to their high school. The doorway itself seemed to have been torn apart to give the dragons more room to fly out into the now scarlet sky above them, the moon an eerie silver color.

"The overwhelming energy seems to be coming … from underground ..." Fuuka spoke up, staring. "P-perhaps the dragons ripping their way out of the basement?"

"If they did, then that bodes even more ill." Mitsuru scowled, drawing her rapier as she walked closer to the doorway. "None seem to be emerging now; let's enter before more escape." Nodding in agreement, Minato drew his sword and led the charge, frowning when he saw that the main stairway into Tartarus proper had been demolished, rubble blocking the doorway to the Velvet Room.

Instead, a gaping hole took up most of the floor, the transporter dangling over a pit of swirling sand by the remaining bit of floor that still remained attached to a wall. "Well, looks like we have no choice ..." Sheathing his sword, Minato jumped into the pit, summoning Suzaku seconds before hitting the sand; a solid thud behind him told him that Aigis had decided to follow him, the robot's arms wrapped around his torso. Hamuko seemed to have the same idea behind him, as he caught a flurry of wings that gave way to Pegasus, one of the unique Personae she had access to. Akihiko and Mitsuru seemed to have joined her on the horse, and Junpei and Fuuka had clung onto Hermes for dear life in the descent.

The Personae didn't land until they appeared to find a solid pathway amongst the rapidly moving sand. Waiting for everyone to land, Minato looked around. A myriad of doors seemed to be poking out of the sand, glowing and swirling as they tried to remain above the ground. "Where are we?" the blue-haired teen frowned, drawing the sword again.

"... I heard of this only once growing up." Mitsuru admitted, sighing. "Father called it the 'Desert of Doors', but nobody ever thought it would awaken like this … Or that dragons were inside of it." Frowning, the heiress had her rapier in her hand again. "We should move quickly."

"Yeah." Hamuko agreed, gripping her naginata. Minato could see his twin shaking, but she was still being stubborn about tailing along with them. She had been like this when they had first entered SEES to boot … Shaking his head to chase the thoughts away, Minato began to race down the walkway, the rest of SEES right behind him.

Reaching the end of the pathway, the group froze; before them stood a doorway made of wrought iron, the large double doors that the frame housed flung wide open. Dragons were carved into the surface, and a blinding blue light shone from within the wide open door, swirling about as if to form a galaxy. Standing in front of the door, however …

"Mr. Chairman!" Minato called out, racing towards the brunet male. "What the hell is going on!?" Ikutsuki seemed to blink at that, but he didn't turn around to face the group as they neared him. "Mr. Chairman!" Minato reached out to grab his shoulder, only to stop at the soft chuckle the man let out.

"Ah, Minato-kun, everyone." Ikutsuki's voice held a sinister tone all of a sudden, and he slowly turned to face the group. "I was wondering if you all would make it down here, let alone survive the city. Dragons are truly impressive creatures, aren't they?" Chuckling, the man crossed his arms over his chest, something in his gaze starting to feel plain wrong. "Such chaos and destruction, raw power in an elegant form … the Shadows were taking too long; perhaps these elegant beasts will call forth the Mother Night faster."

"The Mother Night?" Junpei seemed to tense, tightening the grip on his bastard sword. "Th' hell is that, and why do you want her to show up?"

"Simple; this world isn't worth fighting for." Ikutsuki gave a shrug. "Pain and despair run rampant, and humanity longs for death. The Mother Night will come and usher in a world of stillness and silence, where humanity sleeps for eternity in a paradise of dreams. Of course, if that's assuming any are left … those Dragons seemed ravenous."

"So you'd rather just watch the world burn!?" Mitsuru shouted back, voice getting tight with rage. "What sort of madness are you speaking of! I don't desire death!"

"Yes, alas, the group of you are quite stubborn about it." Ikutsuki gave a sigh before flashing them a smirk. "That's why I'm going to have to dispose of you. Promptly."

At his words, Minato felt something shoving him forward. Crying out, he caught his balance in time to avoid toppling straight into the open doorway. Turning around, the blue-haired teen paled; a new dragon had crept up behind them, gold eyes staring at the group with a hiss as it spread its large wings. Scales that rippled between black and red covered it's form, and the hissing sound made the rest of SEES turn in shock to stare at it; it was easily four times anyone's height, flames dripping from its jaws. Ikutsuki moved from in front of the door, moving to stand beside the dragon with a cruel smile on his face.

"Au revoir."

Letting out a screech, the dragon flapped its wings, the gust too much for most of SEES to withstand at point blank range. The only one not blown off of their feet was Aigis, who open fired on the beast's face. White the bullets bounced off of the scales, a few of the shots made it into the eyes, appearing to blind the beast. A pained screech that shook the ground followed a few seconds later, and it lashed out with its long tail, scoring a direct hit and sending Aigis flying towards the group as well.

The gales of wind produced from those large wings were too powerful, and the next thing Minato was aware of was being flung through the doorway into the massive, open space of blue. Panicking, he spun around, trying to grab onto someone's hand. The only one close enough for him to do so was Hamuko, who looked about ready to cry in fear. "A-aniki! What's- how did this …?!"

"I don't know Hamuko, I don't know!" Twisting as much as he could, Minato gripped onto her hand with both of his, letting go of the now useless sword. He could faintly see Junpei's hat fly off in the corner of his eye, but for now, he was trying to focus on keeping his sister calm. "Just don't let go of my hand!"

Hamuko nodded at him, gripping onto him for dear life, her naginata discarded as well. Glancing around showed the rest of S.E.E.S trying to either stop their fall, or at least try to cling to one another for safety. The efforts were failing, as a strong vortex was starting to grab onto them now, pulling them downwards through time and space as they headed for a green light.

"ANIKI!" Hamuko's frightened scream made Minato jolt back to her, only to realize the wind picking up again meant he was slowly losing his grip on his twin sister. Panicking again, he desperately tried to keep their hands linked, but the gale that was pulling on them was too strong. He was even beginning to lose consciousness. "Aniki, I – i'm …!" Hamuko's face was tear-streaked now, one of her hands slipping out of his grip.

"Hamuko!" crying out, Minato tried in vain to grab her hand again, only to watch in terror as he lost grip of her second hand as well. Not even getting a chance to grab onto her hands again, the blue-haired teen could only watch in horror as she was pulled away, out of his eyesight as the wind picked up even more. "Hamuko!" His words were lost to the wind, slowly blacking out as the green light grew closer and closer. The last thing he could recall seeing was a brilliant blue sky, the midday sun over head, before consciousness left him.

* * *

_(Start of the Dark Hour, Downtown Iwatodai.)  
_Shinjiro sighed as he watched the sky overhead change from deep indigo to a sickly color, the almost full moon an ominous golden color. In his pocket, he could hear the watch Hamuko had found for him earlier in the day still ticking away; Mitsuru had modified it for him as a gift when he first joined SEES, to better help the three of them keep track of time in the Dark Hour. '… I guess I should have left it with the rest of my gear.' He thought bitterly to himself, hearing footprints walking towards him. Although he knew very well who it was, the brunet male didn't turn to face the newcomer. "If you're looking for Koro, he's off talking to his old owner. He won't be back for a while."

"Good." The youthful voice made Shinjiro sigh internally, turning to look. Amada Ken stood there, the younger boy having somehow managed to conceal his lance on the walk through town, an impressive feat when one realized his weapon was taller than he was. Hazel eyes bored into pale grey, the young boy speaking up. "So … you really did want to settle things early."

Shinjiro broke the eye contact, staring up at the moon with a bitter smile. "Yeah; we'd be noticed if we weren't present for the full moon mission." He pointed out, pulling the beanie he normally wore off of his head. Turning to face Ken again, he watched as the young boy gave a nod.

"True …" Drawing a breath, Ken gave him an accusing look. "So … you really don't deny anything that happened that night?" The young boy watched as Shinjiro seemed to hesitate for a moment before slowly shaking his head. Ken sighed in response. "You really _did _do it then. For a moment there, I hoped I was wrong."

"?"

"... I see how happy you make Hamuko-san." Ken looked away as he spoke, bitterness lacing his voice. "I … I don't want to see her unhappy, but your crimes outweigh the happiness you give her." Turning back around to face Shinjiro, the child's eyes narrowed in a sharp glare, and the lance was leveled to point at Shinjiro's chest; now the boy's choice of weapon made perfect sense. "You're guilty, and nothing you say will change that!"

"... Not even an apology, huh." Shinjiro's words carried a broken laugh beneath them, the fight leaving the brunet teen. "Heh … course not … I'm such a fuckin idiot ..." Looking up at the sky as he spoke, Shinjiro could feel tears building up behind his eyes; so it really had come to this, huh. He had hoped – in some small way – that he could have talked to Ken, that he could have given his side of the story … Guess Karma wasn't having any of that.

Drawing a deep breath, Shinjiro let his eyes close, head slipping to face the ground as he dropped the beanie. "... Do it quick. And … be prepared to run. I don't want Koro to hate you ..." He kept his eyes shut as he spoke; the moment he looked at Ken, he knew he'd lose it.

"Yes, listen to the dead man, child, get _on _with it."

Ken's eyes shot wide open at that, and he turned around to the alleyway besides them, Shinjiro following the action. Walking towards them was an impossibly thin man, gold eyes unimpressed as he walked towards them, a large gun in one hand. "I came here expecting to see a glorious execution, not a bunch of standing around and posturing." The newcomer growled, eyes narrowing on the two as he leveled the gun in the taller male's direction, drawing back the safety and hammer. "If you will not put the dying man out of his misery, child, then I shall do you the favor!"

Shinjiro wasn't aware he had ducked to the side until searing pain shot through one of his thighs; he had pushed himself and Ken down to the ground, but had gouged himself on the head of Ken's lance in the process. Swearing, he could hear the frantic barking that told him Koromaru had heard the gunfire, making him stand up as best as he could with the bleeding wound in his leg. "Fuckin hell, Takaya." He growled at the slender man, pale grey eyes flashing. "Th fuck are you doing here!?"

"I came here for the show, Abel, you incompetent!" Takaya shouted back, leveling the gun again. "Pain, chaos, vengeance and blood spilled on the pavement! Not cowardice and posturing! If you two aren't going to do battle, then I shall kill you both for the shame of it all!"

Ken's brain was too busy trying to process what was going on, but at the edge of his hearing, he thought he could hear a roar in the distance. It was pushed aside as his brain tried to process the name Takaya had used to address Shinjiro; Abel. What on Earth did he …? His thoughts were cut off as Koromaru darted out of nowhere, racing to the boy that laid on the concrete, barking and whimpering.

Shinjiro spared them a glance, but kept his attention focused on Takaya as Regenerate started to kick in, healing a bit of the damage done to his leg. "The hell are you raving about?!" He shouted back, body slipping into an attack ready position.

"The two of you aren't living for the moment!" The paler male shot back, drawing back the hammer on his gun again. The roar Ken had heard before echoed again, coming closer; Shinjiro lifted his head as he heard it, confused, but focused on Takaya again in a second. "For that, you should die."

"Why the flying fuck do you even CARE?" Shinjiro shot back, ducking beneath the second shot as it was fired. Going to shout at Takaya more, Shinjiro was cut off as the sky around them turned black, and something large landed behind Takaya, knocking over one of the the buildings. Looking up, the brunet male felt himself pale, moving to pick the paralyzed with fear Ken and Koromaru up.

"What's with that face?" Takaya sneered, somehow missing the building collapsing behind him. "You look as though you've seen death itself." Chuckling, he went to fire the gun again, only to blink when he realized the gun was no longer there.

Neither was the rest of his forearm.

Fear had clearly overtaken pain, because he whirled around to see what had snacked on half of his arm while his back was turned. He found himself staring into a bright orange eye set amongst scales so dark red, they appeared back. Flickers of bright red seemed to race between the scales, forming veins beneath the skin that glowed in the dark light. Black and silver fire dripped from between massive jaws, and as Shinjiro backed up with Ken and Koro, the three could see a large, serpentine form where the building had once stood, the only break in black and red being a massive white scar across the front of the creature's chest.

"...W … wha … I – Is that a …?" Ken's voice was tight with fear, and Shinjiro could feel him trembling in his grip. "... is that a dragon?"

"I … I don't know ..." Shinjiro wasn't trying to hide the panic in his voice. As he spoke, he began to sneak into an alley as well, grateful that the dragon was focused on Takaya for now.

As it was, Takaya was sneering, backing away himself. "Hehe … HAHHAHAHAHAHA! How fitting a devil comes up from the Earth itself!" He shouted after a long moment, maniacal laughter undercutting his words. "Cleanse the earth in fire, great beast! End this mortal pla-!"

The end of Takaya's sentence was cut off by a blood-curdling roar that knocked Shinjiro onto his ass in the alley, dropping Ken and the dog as he did so. The smell of sulfur and brimstone wafted through the area, and the only hint Shinjiro had to what was about to happen was the dragon rearing back it's head to strike. Reaching out, he pulled Ken into his chest, blocking the child's view as the great beast's jaws came down with a snap, ripping Takaya's torso from the rest of his body.

Wincing as he heard the crunching noise, Shinjiro stood up again, dragging Ken with him. Making the kid focus on him, he gestured towards the alleyway as the dragon continued to chew on Takaya. "Run." Ken nodded in response, Koromaru at his heels as the two brunets raced off down the narrow alley. The dragon didn't seem to notice them, though, as the roar it let out seemed to be in the distance.

That hope was dashed when a glance over his shoulder told Shinjiro the dragon had spotted them. It was flying after them, the large, tattered wings engulfed in silver and black fire burning the air around them as it gave chase. It didn't seem to be taking the chase seriously; it flew about as slowly as a regular human could walk, and it was still keeping pace a good fifty feet or so behind them.

A warning snarl hit Shinjiro's ears, and he yanked on Ken's arm to pull the boy out of the way as a pillar of black fire struck the spot where he had been seconds before hand. Koromaru leaped through the fire, Cerberus's passive fire block creating a shield of protection around the tiny dog as he started running faster. "Ken, keep running!"

Ken could barely hear Shinjiro over the blood pounding in his ears; the boy could never remember being this scared before in his life. Not even fighting Shadows had scared him this much; he doubted _anything _would terrify him more than the sight of a large, fire-breathing dragon chasing him as if it had all the time in the world, the pillars of fire it was breathing seeming to herd them into a narrow pathway between another two tall buildings.

The next pillar of fire hit a few feet behind Ken, throwing up the ground and making him trip up with a shout of pain as he hit the concrete. He was aware of his knees and hands being scraped up to hell and back as he rolled, and his left ankle had been twisted by the fall. Shinjiro's shout of his name was almost drowned out by the sound of metal falling, and Ken stared in horror as a collapsing fire escape landed between him and the other male, who looked terrified.

Koromaru darted over to Ken, barking and trying to help the small boy get up again. "K-Koro-chan, don't worry!" Yelping as he tried to get up, Ken shook his head. "Go on and get to safety! You're safe from the fire!" Koromaru shook his head with a whine, barking again and tugging on Ken's hoodie to get the boy to shelter.

The sound of brick and cement cracking above them made Ken pale, looking up. The dragon had landed on one of the buildings, and was now starting to crawl down one of them, orange eyes focusing on Ken as a forked tongue snaked out to taste the air. Koromaru's efforts only increased at that, the small dog doing his best to drag Ken away from the dragon's immense maw. It didn't do too much good, and soon, Ken felt paralysis take him again as the toothy jaws in front of him opened wide, flickering embers at the back of the throat.

A sound like a gunshot echoed in the air in the heartbeat that followed afterwords, and the fire escape that the dragon had knocked over was sent flying into its face with a bang. The momentary distraction made it rear back with a screech, and Ken found himself being scooped up; it took a few seconds for him to realize it was Shinjiro, the teenager now running full tilt with the small child in his arms. Koromaru raced ahead of them, leading the way to the Naganaki Shrine while the dragon was busy getting the twisted pieces of metal off of its face.

Reaching the shrine, Shinjiro vaulted over the donation box, still carrying Ken as he and Koromaru reached the doors to the shrine. Opening them, Shinjiro slipped inside, shutting the door after Koromaru was inside. Setting Ken down on the foot of the jizou statue, the teenager pulled off his peacoat, wrapping it around Ken. "You should be safe in here for the moment." He said, panting. "Get yourself healed, and then you and Koro can take to the sewers. There's a human-sized entrance nearby."

"W-what about you?" Ken gripped onto the teen's arm as he pulled away. "Why did you save me like that?! I was going to kill you, so why …?" Confusion raced through Ken's face the second Shinjiro looked at him again, a whirl of emotions in those pale grey eyes. The child was certain he saw regret, pain, and something he had only seen when Makoto was trying to protect Hamuko flash across Shinjiro's face in those few seconds as the teenager pulled away, only to hug Ken the next second.

"... I promised her I'd keep you safe." He muttered into the small child's hair. "Some fucking good job I've done at that, eh?" Sighing, Shinjiro let go and backed up towards the door. "... Get yourself healed up, and then the two of you get into the underground. I'll buy you time."

"W – wai -!" Ken's call was cut off as Shinjiro went outside, shutting the door behind him before even Koromaru could follow him.

Tying the doors shut from the outside with the shimenawa nearby, Shinjiro leaned against the door and let out a bitter laugh. "... I'm sorry, Ken … I really am, but … you're better off not knowing." He muttered, hearing an angry roar; the dragon had probably gotten the fire escape off of its head by now. "... I wish this wasn't the end, but … Just promise me you'll be safe."

Stepping away from the door, Shinjiro stared as the dragon turned around tongue lashing in the air for a second before lifting into the air and bee lining for the shrine. Drawing a breath as he let the familiar blue and white light kick up around him, Shinjiro gripped his left shoulder. "... Come on, Castor, we have a path to clear." At his words, the black Persona appeared behind him, the spear head that impaled Castor level with Shinjiro's hand. Gripping onto the air near it, Shinjiro felt it solidify into a cold metal, and tugged.

The spearhead came clean of the Persona, forming a useable weapon in the brunet's hand as the black color that covered Castor evaporated, revealing a glowing, blueish-white color beneath, nearly identical to Akihiko's Persona. Leveling the weapon he had drawn from the Persona, Shinjiro focused on the dragon as it flew in closer, eyes sliding shut as a sad smile came across his face.

'Heh … I'm sorry Mom; I knew I said I'd keep Ken safe, but … I'm gonna have to break that promise.' Gripping the weapon tighter in his hand, the brunet male glared as the great beast landed in front of him and Castor, orange eyes burning in fury. 'It's been two years, Mom … I didn't think I'd be seeing you again so soon. But …'

Slipping his body so both hands gripped the spear's haft, Shinjiro began to prepare for the attack. Castor tensed up to charge behind him, the Persona's horse ready to spring at a second's notice as the dragon stalked towards them, a black figure against the scarlet sky.

'It'll be good to see you again. We can look after Ken together.'

With that thought, Shinjiro braced himself as the dragon let out a roar, attacking. Dodging beneath the initial swipe of a paw, Shinjiro cursed and slashed out with the spear, noting the fire that formed around the spearhead. Sparks skittered off of sharp scales, doing no noticeable damage. Cursing, the brunet male rolled beneath the beast, hiding beneath it while Castor punched it in the face. 'Hopefully shit will be easier to stab here …' Focusing on the legs to make sure he wasn't stepped on – he'd be dead for sure if that happened – Shinjiro stabbed at the inside of one of the legs, relieved to find the spear point went through the flesh, causing the dragon above him to screech.

Fearing the feet that reared up around him, Shinjiro rolled out of the way, Castor reappearing above him as the dragon turned and shot a pillar of fire towards the teen. Swearing, he dodged to one side while Castor shot up into the air, eyes widening as he saw the sheer heat of the flames melt the brick beneath them.

'Holy fucking shit; I am SO fucking glad Koro can null fire.' Shaking his head at the thought, Shinjiro got up and watched as Castor charged in for an attack, the horse's horn managing to strike the dragon on the muzzle and earning a screech of pain. Lunging forward, Shinjiro repeated the action with the spear, cursing as the blade bounced off of the scales for a missed hit. The dragon seemed to be getting irritated though, and it spun around to try and hit with its long tail. Ducking beneath it, Shinjiro winced as it totaled part of the play structure. There didn't seem to be any coffins around, so at least it didn't mean anybody else would die here …

with that thought, he blinked in time to see those massive jaws coming down on top of him. Swearing, Shinjiro brought the spear up, jamming it in the roof of the dragon's mouth. _That _seemed to hurt it, as it let out a pained screech as it shook back and forth, trying to get the weapon out of it's mouth. Shinjiro let go in mid swing, letting Castor grab him as the Persona began to gather energy. Knowing what was going to happen, he ducked, and the glowing Persona charged into the dragon.

While it did seem to do some damage, the dragon was angrier now. The next thing Shinjiro registered was a heavy paw coming down on top of him, pinning him against the concrete and snapping his concentration. Yelling in pain as his head cracked the pavement, he could hear the sound of an explosion as the spear he was using broke , Castor vanishing a moment later.

Within seconds, one of those brilliant orange eyes was on him, rage burning in the depths as trickles of blood seeped from the wound in it's upper mouth. Fear took Shinjiro over for a moment as the dragon opened its jaws, the rank of sulfur nearly knocking him out then and there. Acceptance flooded over him a moment later, and he closed his eyes.

'Ken, be safe …'

The smell of sulfur went away, as did the heat, but he wasn't fooled. It was doing the kill strike above him, so hopefully it would be over soon. A small part of him wondered if he would be cooked alive, or if he'd just be ripped apart like Takaya had been. Every instinct in him was screaming to run, but he forced himself to try and remain calm. If this was the end, well … No use crying over it.

His eyes flew open when the sound of an explosion rang out above him, and the dragon let out an irate roar. The pressure of the paw weighing him down was lifted seconds later, and it took him a few seconds to register what he was seeing. A _pixie _was floating between him and the dragon, which was stumbling back and fanning its wings as it shook its head, as if trying to clear its vision. The small pixie let out a 'hmph' before dropping a blast of silver and violet light on top of the dragon, which went off with a loud crash.

Another furious noise left the dragon's throat, and it took to the air a second later, flying off. The flames that engulfed its wings were visible for several miles, and Shinjiro only pushed himself upright when he was certain he couldn't see it anymore. The pixie flew over to him when she saw him starting to get up, a brilliant green light washing over him.

"Ah, thank goodness! I was almost too late!" The man's voice made Shinjiro jolt, pushing himself onto his knees as he looked towards the stairs. A young man in blue and black was racing towards him, a large book held in one arm. The Pixie vanished at his arrival, and the young man headed towards him. "It would have been horrible if I had let you get eaten; Lady Hamuko would have been heartbroken."

"... Who are you?" Shinjiro asked, letting the strange man – whose gold eyes held none of the malice that Takaya's had – pull him onto his feet.

"Ah, do forgive me." The man gave a bow, eyes soft. "My name is Theodore; I assist Lady Hamuko and Master Minato in managing their Personae." Shinjiro arched an eyebrow at that, but decided not to question it. "Are you the only one here still? Master Igor said he could sense three Persona-users awake tonight. If I include you, that would mean there are two others ..."

Shinjiro glanced to the shrine, nodding. "Ken and Koro are in there." He wheezed, rubbing his head. The spell the pixie had used on him had healed a lot of the damage, but it still stung. "Didn't want the dragon getting them."

"How very noble of you." Theodore gave a nod, voice moved. "But perhaps you can let them out now? I have to inform you of the change in circumstances ..."

Not liking how that was said, Shinjiro nodded and opened the shrine door, Koromaru and Ken bolting to him. The younger boy threw his arms around Shinjiro's waist, clinging and apparently _sobbing _of all things, while Koromaru settled for running around the two for a few moments, barking. Theodore seemed amused. "Don't fret, you two; Aragaki-san here is alright, barring a few scrapes and bruises for being brave enough to stab a dragon in the mouth."

"Is that what that screeching was?" Ken asked after a moment, lifting his head from Shinjiro's side. The younger brunet was still shaking all over, but at least he was able to move and talk.

"Indeed." Nodding, Theodore frowned. "Things have gone terribly, wrong, and Master Igor has asked me to escort you towards the center of this madness."

"Yeah, I kinda figured something was wrong when a dragon showed up and ate a person." Shinjiro groaned, the sarcasm rich in his voice. "Thanks for chasing it off, by the way. I was pretty certain I was gonna be digested there."

"I don't know if it would have been able to eat you through that wound; being stabbed in the roof of the mouth sounds most unpleasant." Chuckling as he cast a spell of transportation, Theodore frowned at the same time. "It seems the one you call the 'Chairman' decided to betray everyone, and unleashed dragons upon the world to create an Eternal Darkness. He had to open up a portal between dimensions to do so, and such is _incredibly _rare and not something most Persona-users are accustomed to. And to make matters worse, your allies have been banished to a plane far beyond here. My sisters and I shall do our best to contain the damage here while Master Igor speaks with Lord Philemon, but the three of you must go to this new world and regroup with your friends."

"... Well that doesn't sound any less dangerous than dealing with dragons." Was Shinjiro's reply, still tart.

"It really isn't, now is it?" Theodore pondered that for a moment. "A completely new world, one you are unaccustomed to, and you have to gather your friends into one place if you wish to get home, and goodness knows where they've gotten to; that _is _a daunting task."

Ken shuddered at that, gripping onto Shinjiro more as the transportation spell left them standing besides the open gateway. Ikutsuki and the dragon were gone, just leaving the swirling mass of blue in front of them. "Is that … the portal?"

"Yes, indeed it is." Theodore nodded. "I don't remember what Master Igor called it, but it is quite imposing ..." Glancing around, the gold-eyed male sighed. "And I'd hate to rush you, but there is a chance another dragon might arrive to try and attack you once again. It would be best if you made haste through the portal."

Koromaru let out a whine, sticking close to Shinjiro and Ken as his ears dropped. Ken picked him up and gave him a hug before looking at Shinjiro, who met his eyes; worry and fear filled the younger, and Shinjiro gave his shoulder a squeeze on pure instinct. "... We really don't have much of a choice, Ken … I'm scared too." He admitted, sighing. "Hell, I was scared when that dragon tried to eat you, but … Imagine how scared the others must be."

"Y-yeah … we really should save them." Shuddering, Ken looked at Theo as he pulled Shinjiro's coat tighter around himself. "Do we just step through the gate?"

"Precisely." Theodore gave a nod, then frowned as the sound of roaring came from above. "And do hurry; company is arriving once again, and I believe my sisters are taking care of other parts in the city. Go on through, and I'll take care of these 'guests'." Not liking the cold tone that Theodore took on when he said the last word, Shinjiro nodded and pulled Ken up into his arms before stepping through, the feeling of vertigo from entering the blue matter knocking him senseless for a few seconds.

Ken yelped, as did Koro, and Shinjiro swore as he lost his grip on them. While he didn't bother to try and grab them again, he watched out of the corner of his eyes, making sure he could see them as the light around them turned into a brilliant white color, cutting the other two from his line of sight.

And then he felt the ground beneath before unconsciousness stole over his mind.

'Well, this was a good way to start on the whole 'rescuing everyone' deal.' He thought before blacking out. 'A drowned cat could do better than me.'

* * *

**_Tori's Notes: _**_Would you believe me if I said I've had this idea floating around for quite a while now? (at least a year, by my reckoning.) Finally got enough of the plot holes ironed out to go ahead with it, so here. Have the start of a Persona/Fire Emblem 7 crossover that's going to be one hell of a crazy ride. I'll explain more about the deal with Castor's spear weapon deal the next time we cut back to Shinjiro. _

_And keep your eyes on the dragon Theo chased off; he'll be back ... _


	2. Road of Trials Part I

**Tori's notes:** Okay, before this chapter gets started, I'm going to come out and say right away that I'm doing something different with this story; _language barrier. _Because all multiverses speaking Japanese is kinda silly, especially if a game is based off of Europe like the Fire Emblem franchise. So when a member of SEES is speaking Japanese, they will have their speech set like [this], with thoughts being _[italicized]. _The regular speech setting - "This" for speaking and 'that' for thinking - will be used for the Elibian language, or for the languages spoken close to it.

And with that, enjoy the chapter.

* * *

_(?)  
_"Ninian, what do you think this is?"

The young woman blinked at the question, turning around. She was tucked away in a remote part of a traveling merchant caravan, her white and seafoam blue dress draped over the back of a carriage quite elegantly. Her pale face was framed by ice-blue hair, offsetting the deep ruby eyes that were filled with a solemn sort of worry as she watched the midday sky overhead. The moment she heard her name called, however, she tore her gaze away from the sky, and instead glanced around to try and find her younger brother.

"Nils?" She asked, slowly getting out of the carriage as to not tear her skirts. He'd wandered off with some of the merchant children earlier to go explore and see if there was any sort of fruits or vegetables to be brought back for the evening's stew, but judging from his voice, he was close by. Keeping her skirts gathered in one hand, Ninian walked through the convoy a bit, looking for her brother.

"Right here, sis!" Nils eventually called back, making her stop and turn to look. He stood at the outer edge of the caravan, pale green hair windblown as he readjusted the hair tie that kept it somewhat restrained. His yellow scarf seemed equally ruffled , but his shorts and tunic were still in fine shape. He was holding something dark blue in one hand, and he trotted forward. "Look; I found this near the shore of one of the rivers. What do you think it is?"

He held the dark blue object out to Ninian as he spoke, prompting the elder into picking it up. It almost seemed to be made of some sort of cloth, reminding her of a thin tent, but as she held it up it opened into a slight cap, almost like a metal curaiss, with a stiffened band on one side. "...? What in Naga's name …?" Ninian muttered, holding it by both the stiffened band and the looser fabric as she lifted it up to eye level. The symbol of rebirth rested over the stiffened part of the fabric in silver thread, which only made the object more confusing.

"... I … think it's supposed to be some sort of hat ..." The blue-haired girl said after a moment, tilting her head quizzically to try and figure out what her brother's discovery was. "But … I've never seen such a make before. Nor with the symbol for rebirth on it like this ..."

"Really?" Nils plucked the hat out of her hands and examined it for a few moments before putting it on his head, tugging it so the stiffened band rested over his neck. "It's … not very well designed. My neck is shielded but not my face."

"... Nils? I think you have it on backwards." Ninian shook her head and reached out, slipping her thin fingers through the gap that now rested at the front of the 'hat' and tugged it off of Nils's head. "It would make more sense for the stiffened part to … what's this?" She asked, having spotted the white flicker of fabric that hung out from one side. "It appears to have something written … Oh dear."

"What's wrong?" Nils asked, ruffling his hair.

"... I cannot read a word of what is written on here." The elder showed Nils the white fabric, and the green-haired boy felt his brain halt for a moment. Instead of the sensible letters that Nils and Ninian were used to reading, there was instead a series of lines, dashes, small circles and odd angles arranged into some sort of unintelligible pattern. Whatever it was trying to say was lost on the siblings, and Nils scratched his head.

"... Do you think it came from the Gate?" He offered after a moment. "You did mention that it felt like something else had been sent through after us ..."

"Perhaps, but why would anyone send such a bizarre hat through the Dragon's Gate, and nothing else?" Ninian replied, rolling the hat up and storing it in Nils's pouch. At his noise of protest, the elder gave a wry smile. "You discovered it, you get to keep track of it." Nils pouted, but didn't protest, and Ninian went to continue speaking when a soft whining noise reached her ears. "..?" Lifting her head, she turned to where she had heard the noise coming from, and walked towards it.

"Ninian?" Nils called out after her, following a few steps behind. Ninian held her hand up for a few moments to keep him silent, trying to home in on the soft noise as it gradually got louder. It … almost sounded like a dog, but a very strange, small one. After a few moments of searching, the blue-haired girl found the source of the noise, and almost did a double take. It looked like someone had shrunk a wolf down to the size of a cat, its white fur wet and muddy as it seemed to be tracking for something on the riverbank. A strange leather shirt – armor for a dog? - and a collar with metal wings on it stood out almost as much as Ninian's red eyes against the rest of her pale appearance, making her wonder just where the dog had come from.

"Little one ..." Ninian called out, kneeling down as she dug in her pack for the pieces of jerky she had left over. "Hey, what's wrong?" The dog seemed to hear her, because it's head lifted up to reveal red eyes – an albino? Just who had lost such a rare animal? - and a worried expression. It seemed to waver for a few seconds before trotting towards Ninian, ears perked forward to warn him of any noises. When Ninian held out the hand with jerky in it, however, it seemed to perk up more, and came closer. "It's alright, I promise. I won't harm you."

The dog seemed to trust her, and ate the jerky while it's tail began to wag. Reaching out, Ninian scooped it up in her arms – oh Naga, it really _was _small – and after doing a quick check beneath the tail to see if it was male or female, she nodded upon seeing it was a male before settling him better in her arms. "Where did you come from, small man? I don't think I've ever seen a dog like you here on Elibe before, and you're much too matured to be a mere pup." She asked as she stood up, scratching the dog beneath the strange collar. Her nimble fingers found the strange clasp that held the leather shirt in place, and after a downward tug, had it undone. "That leather must be making you overheat."

The dog in her arms gave her a whine, and his red eyes showed a surprising level of intelligence as his tail kept wagging. Ninian had a feeling that he didn't understand a word of what she was saying, but he knew she was safe from the tone of her voice. He sniffed at her a few more times before resting against her, letting out a tired little sigh as she walked back to where Nils was.

Her younger brother blinked. "... Ninian, if that wasn't a dog, I was going to ask where you suddenly got a fur muff from." He laughed weakly, walking towards Ninian and the dog in her arms. "He's _tiny. _I didn't think anyone had fully mastered the size-changing spell to make a portable wolf." Reaching out, the younger started to scratch the dog behind the ears, prompting the small dog to wake up a bit. "Hey there, buddy. What were you doing walking around the riverbed like that, huh?"

The dog gave a replying yap, one that sounded almost too large for his small body to the pair's ears, before sniffing Nils's arm. His ears perked forward a bit, nearly climbing out of Ninian's hold as he homed in on Nils's bag. "What? Is he hungry?" The younger asked, looking to his sister for help. To their surprise, the dog shook his head, whining.

"... Maybe the hat you found, Nils?" Ninian offered, shifting so that the dog didn't squirm completely out of her grip. He seemed to perk up at that, tail wagging "Well, he seems to know something, so try the hat?" Nils nodded in reply, digging the deep blue fabric out and held it out to the dog. He sniffed the cap, tail wagging happily despite his sad-sounding whine.

"... perhaps it was his owners?" Nils offered, letting the cap drop onto the dog's head.

"Perhaps ..." Ninian nodded, shifting more as she heard the caravan head let out the trumpeting call that signaled the start of the day. "Ah … we'll be moving soon." The dog didn't make any effort to squirm out of her grasp. "Perhaps we should keep him with us until we find his owner again?" She offered, scratching him under the chin.

"... Ninian, we're on the run ..." Nils sighed, pointing out. "Do you honestly think a dog – even a miniature one – would be safe tailing along with us?" The white dog lifted his head at that, knocking the cap against Ninian's chest as his red eyes locked on Nils's. An odd, almost uncanny intelligence filled him, as if he was asking the young boy if he was doubting him. The stare was unnerving, and Nils had to break contact before long. "... That ..."

"I know; I felt the energy too." Ninian tightened her hold on the dog as she sped up towards the carriage she rested in, Nils at her side. Somehow pulling herself into place with a single arm, the blue-haired girl settled herself once again, Nils leaping up and landing in the seat next to her. "That's why we should keep him with us for now. Who knows what sent this dog our way."

"... Yeah, fair enough." Nils sighed, reaching out and scratching the dog behind the ear himself. "... But what are we going to call him? Snowy?"

Ninian could only laugh at the almost dirty look the dog sent Nils in response, his ears twitching in annoyance.

* * *

_(?)  
_Something was poking him in the side.

Junpei groaned as he stirred a bit, back aching. What the hell had he fallen on? And what was poking him?

Now something was on his chest. Letting out an oomph as the air forced itself out of his lungs, the teen groaned a bit more and grimaced as whatever – or whoever – was sitting on him decided to start poking his face. He could feel the warm air on his face too, like someone was leaning over him. [.. Ugggh … What?] He groaned, eyes snapping open.

Only to blink in shock as a pair of wide green eyes filled up his entire field of vision.

The air in the next few seconds was full of shrieks and screaming as whoever was sitting on Junpei launched off of him, and Junpei scrambled backwards, both of them eventually hiding behind various parts of the house that they could reach. For Junpei, it happened to be an old chimney, and he had moved too fast to see _what _had been sitting on top of him and where it had fled to.

A quick silence filled the air as the dust settled, along with something metal – his Evoker, from the sound of it - clattered onto the stone floor of the house. After the sound of his blood racing started to slowly quiet down, Junpei shifted a bit, looking out from behind the chimney; the strange thing wasn't anywhere to be seen, so he slowly began to creep out. [Hello?] He called out, grabbing his Evoker and sticking it back in the holster. [A … Anybody there?]

His sword had vanished. _[Great, I get sent to a parallel dimension and I'm all but weaponless.] _He thought to himself, sighing. [And I lost my HAT too...] Now that was just adding insult to injury! Sighing, he went towards the covered window nearby, to try and see if he could get at least some sort of bearings as to where he was [From the look of it, this place is abandoned. Dunno about the time perio-]

His thoughts were cut off as a small face, one that housed those bright green eyes from before, appeared on level with his own apart from being upside down.

"You talk funny!"

Shouting and backpedaling in surprise, Junpei felt one of his feet slip, and landed on his ass.

Grumbling in pain, the dark-haired youth was pushing himself up when that same voice – young and feminine – started laughing, and he looked up in time to see a flurry of cream-colored feathers drop down from the rafters. Confused, he looked down, and stared; a little girl – about six or seven – stood in front of him, those bright green eyes dancing as she hopped over to him. A little brown cloak covered a fawn overall dress and purplish undershirt, her hair a bright raspberry color. Her boots matched the dress, and she had a little green bag tied at a belt around her waist. Tapered ears poked out from her mass of hair, and she trotted right up to Junpei with a grin that showed sharp teeth.

[_Oh dear no I don't want to be eaten by something small and adorable!] _The dark-haired teen thought, tempted to back up. The little girl seemed to sense this, and she pouted.

"Don't run away! Fae just wanted to get a better look, because Fae doesn't see a lot of funny looking humans like you!" She huffed, tiny little arms propping themselves on her waist. "Fae hasn't even seen Plainspeople that look like you. Did you crawl out from under the earth? You're long and skinny like the palm tree around the oasis."

[_I have no clue what the hell she's saying to me.] _Junpei realized after a moment, blinking. _[Then again, I guess parallel universes speaking Japanese is kinda stupid and contrived.] _Sighing and shifting upright more as he continued to rub his sore bottom, Junpei looked around; it didn't seem like there was anyone else besides him and the little girl here, and she was watching him with great curiosity, her head tilting to one side.

[Ummm …] Looking at her, Junpei gave a weak laugh, wishing he had his hat to hide behind. [Is .. there anyone here? Like your parents or something? Or … .you really do not get a word of what I'm saying do you?] He tapered off at the end, seeing the way the little girl's face just changed to look like someone had given her a slice of lemon.

"Fae can't keep up; You're talking too fast for Fae to keep up!" She huffed, lower lip sticking out. "Maybe you're an older dragon like Fae?"

[Fae?] Junpei asked, confused. She kept saying that word... [What's Fae?]

"Fae is Fae!" She replied, hopping a bit. "Fae would like to be Fae too! Fae wants to know who you are, Mr. twiggy palm tree."

_[Oh dear merciful … is she talking in third person!?] _Junpei groaned and slapped his forehead with a palm; not only was he stuck talking to someone in a COMPLETELY different language – it wasn't even close to English, which he had SOMETHING of a grasp on – but it was a little girl who was most likely not a master of the language herself. And she had sharp teeth; what was she, some sort of super adorable alien that dropped people's guard with her cuteness before biting them?

Fae – Junpei was just going to assume she was Fae – seemed to huff more, but her next comment was cut off by a door near the front of the cot opening. She seemed to jump back at at that, green eyes wide, making Junpei blink as a shadow fell over him. Swallowing in nerves, the dark-haired teen began to turn around.

Standing in the doorway was a man so immense the teen was almost certain he was half grizzly. His tanned skin rolled over several prominent muscles, tattoos in black in curling around his biceps. A loincloth and sandals were the only form of clothing he wore, and his blond hair was tied back in a ponytail to reveal a stern, strong face.

_[… Okay so if I had to choose between Grizzly Man and cute little alien killing me __**I'll take being eaten by the cute alien.] **_Shuddering, Junpei found himself frozen in place, the large man walking into the main part of the house.

"Fae." He said, voice deep as he focused on the little girl. "You know you're not supposed to be leaving Arcadia."

"But Fae was boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooored." Fae pouted, cheeks puffing out as she crossed her arms over her chest. If Junpei wasn't terrified for his safety, he would have found it downright adorable. "And Fae found a strange twiggy man!" She pointed at Junpei as she spoke, bringing the Grizzly Man's attention to him. "Hawkeye, can we take him home?"

Grizzly Man – Junpei thought he was named Hawkeye – arched an eyebrow as he looked Junpei over. It was only now that Junpei saw the broad axe the man held in his right hand. "Fae. Humans aren't pets." He pointed out, reaching down with a hand the size of Junpei's head to lift the teen onto his feet. "No matter how strange looking of a human he may be."

"He even talks funny" Fae nodded, and Junpei blinked to see her hovering on his eye level again. After a moment's confusion; he saw how; Fae had a pair of small, cream-colored wings growing from behind her shoulder blades, the tips of her secondary feathers sky blue. She seemed oblivious to his staring, because she gave him another toothy grin. "Fae thinks the Elder or the Archsage could understand him."

"Perhaps." Hawkeye gave a nod. "Master did speak of a strange activity going on on the Isle of Valor ..." Shifting, Hawkeye gave Junpei a hard stare, making the teen swallow.

[Okay, I don't know if you can understand me …] Junpei began, holding up both hands to show that they were empty, [but I just kinda got shoved through a doorway with dragons on it and blacked out, and woke up with little miss Fae poking me in my – HOLY SHIT IS SHE A LITTLE DRAGON!?] The thought flashed through Junpei's mind and out of his mouth, and before he knew it, he had somehow managed to scale up onto Hawkeye's shoulder, only to bang his head on one of the rafters.

"... Fae, did you hear him say … 'duuraagoon?'" Hawkeye asked, arching an eyebrow. Junpei shuddered a bit at that; he had made sure to use the Western variation of 'dragon', not 'ryuu', in case this universe knew what a dragon was. Judging from the way Hawkeye was speaking to Fae, and the way the little girl was nodding, he'd made a good call. "... He must be taken to my Master, and with due speed."

"But there's a sand storm coming." Fae fluttered over to the window as she spoke, moving the cover enough to look outside. "Do we have to go underground?"

"Yes, Fae, underground we go." Shifting a bit, Hawkeye had his axe transferred to his free hand and was gripping Junpei onto his shoulder to make sure the dark-haired teen didn't get away. "Go and open the doorway, please."

"Okay~" Fae gave a nod and fluttered over to the center of the cot, pulling aside a rug that Junpei was certain weighed too much for a little girl to move so carelessly. A second later, when Fae was flapping those tiny little wings more to open a heavy wooden trapdoor, he swallowed nervously once again as he remained pinned; if he put up too much of a struggle, Hawkeye might feed him to Fae.

_[Okay, wherever I am, I probably shouldn't put up a lot of resistance; they might very well be taking me into a dragon's den.] _He thought to himself as Fae got the door open, revealing a fairly dark drop. _[And I have no clue where everyone else is; for all I know they might be where these two are leading me an – oh holy crap he's jumping!] _Bracing himself as Hawkeye landed hard on a stone walkyway, Junpei shuddered as the bear of a man walked a few feet while the door creaked shut above them.

A second later, Fae flew by, holding a ball of blue and yellow flames between her hands. "Fae will light the way!" She laughed, bright green eyes showing nothing more than joy and excitement. Giving a weak laugh as Hawkeye carried him, the dark-haired teen swallowed as his eyes followed the little girl, Hawkeye's heavy footsteps echoing in the stone chamber.

Junpei was certain he had fallen asleep at some point, because the next thing he remembered was the sound of rushing water. Confused, he lifted his head, only to blink as a soft blue light washed over him. Hawkeye and Fae – whose little fireball had burned out or been dispelled – now stood at the foot of a gigantic, underground chamber that seemed filled with water, platforms and architecture built on the mirror-flat surfaces. Small waterfalls cascaded down from holes in the far wall, and it was an interesting change from the empty stone chamber Junpei had been hauled through for the entire trip there.

Hawkeye continued walking, carrying Junpei down towards the centermost part of the chamber, where a good-sized cathedral stood. Junpei couldn't quite see what rested in front of it, but a feeling of calm was beginning to steal over him.

"Ah, good, Hawkeye, you found one of them." An elderly man's voice reached out over the water, soft. "Bring him here, and then you can return to Arcadia. Fae is free to wait here if she wishes, or she can return to Arcadia with you; forcing her to go with you will only make her pout and we both know it."

Confused, Junpei yelped a bit as Hawkeye lowered him into a small chair in front of the cathedral, a silver table with several scrolls and a pot of tea sitting on top of it in front of him. The large man gave a nod to someone Junpei couldn't quite see before leaving, Fae following him after a moment, her gaze darting back towards Junpei every few moments.

[… Hello?] Junpei called after a moment of silence, looking around.

[Welcome, young man from the Outrealms.] The calm voice from before returned, and when Junpei blinked, the chair across from him was occupied. In front of him sat a man with a long, white wizard's beard, deep blue robes that reached the floor, and a wooden staff held in one hand. Deep eyes stared at Junpei from behind bushy white brows, and a soft smile turned up the corner's of his mouth. Smiling more at Junpei's stunned face, the wizard gave a nod. [It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.]

* * *

(?)  
Akihiko was getting frustrated.

Huffing, the silver-haired teen squirmed more, trying to get comfortable on the cot that he had been given; he had been found by a strange group of men and women in religious robes, white trimmed in soft violets and blues, half unconscious outside of their abbey. They spoke in what he _thought _was a corruption of Latin, but he couldn't be certain – it had taken Mitsuru turning into a drill sergeant for him to get a basic grip on French, so she had given up on Latin – and Shinji wasn't around to confirm it for him.

The thought of his best friend made Akihiko cringe. He hadn't been with the group when Ikutsuki had shoved them through the gate, so who knew where his best friend was. For all Akihiko knew, Shinjiro could be dead in a dragon's gullet somewhere, and he had no clue what happened to him.

_[No, stop that, Aki.]_ He hit himself. _[Shinji'd pitch a fit if he heard me being so depressed again. It's frustrating enough that you can't __**leave**__ yet because the monks or … clerics or … priests … or __**whatever**__ religious people call themselves are worried you have a closed head injury or something.] _Sighing, Akihiko flopped over on his other side, nursing some of the bandages the monks had wrapped around him.

[_Where the heck am I?] _Akihiko wondered after a moment, dark grey eyes looking around. _[And where's everyone else?] _Nobody had really made a comment about his silver hair, at the least. They had made some comments about his facial structure overall, but after thinking it over, they had looked closer to European; Mitsuru had shown him a picture or two of her French mother, and while the people weren't exactly French, they did seem European. _[It would explain why they didn't understand what I was saying when they first found me.]_

Sighing more, Akihiko eventually stood up and started pacing; he couldn't get comfortable on that cot. He wanted to punch something, but the little room he had been given was small and quaint, like the orphanage he and Shinjiro had spent their childhood in. a small alcove in one wall held a statuette of a gentle looking woman with a staff over a decapitated dragon, small candles and a sprig of lavender arranged around it. [_Must be a saint or something.]_

Sighing in frustration, he let his hands clench into fists for a few seconds before unclenching them before settling on the cot again. [I'm gonna go stir crazy in here!] He muttered after a moment, getting up to pace a few seconds later. The sound of a door opening and closing made him pause, as did soft footsteps heading towards his room.

An older man dressed like a bishop entered the room a moment later, eyes soft. "Ah, you are the strange young man the members of the abbey found." He said, giving a polite bow of the head. "I am Father Yodel, a senior Bishop in the service of St. Elimine. If there is a way you understand what I say, perchance I can ask for your name?"

Akihiko blinked; he didn't understand what the man was saying, but his voice was friendly. He didn't sense any hostility in his voice, and Pollux had settled down for the moment. Had he been asked for his name? "... Akihiko." He replied after a moment, giving the bow he knew would have been a proper greeting to someone in a high position back home.

"An even odder name." Yodel chuckled, eyes gentle as he watched Akihko straighten up. "So you are indeed from a foreign land, perhaps one that not even the most adventurous merchants can find. What brings you here to the shores of Elibe?"

[A madman and a gateway through dimensions.] Akihiko replied, having no other way to explain himself or being clever. Yodel didn't seem to understand him, but he gave a nod at the teen's frustration. A spark of inspiration hit him at that, and he shifted more; perhaps there was a chance they had found Shinji? [But I am looking for someone, and he'd probably could explain things better.] At that, Akihiko paused; shit, how tall was Shinji again? His friend was always hunched over nowadays, and he still had an inch over Akihiko in height _anyway_. Taking an estimate, the silver-haired teen waved a hand about four to five inches higher than he was. [He's about yay high, always looks like he's pissed off, tannish skin and dark brown hair, light eyes, wears a lot of reds and browns, answers to Shinji?]

Yodel tilted his head to one side, a confused expression spreading across his face. "Young Master Akihiko, just what are you trying to speak of?" He asked after a moment, letting both of his hands grip the staff he held. "Are you trying to describe someone? Your language is far too unusual for me to understand."

"So this is the newcomer, Yodel?" A newcomer's voice distracted Akihiko, making him look; a younger man was approaching, his hair a finer shade of silver than Akihiko's. He wore deep purple and black clothes, fancy lavender armor trimmed in gold covering his tunic. His eyes were an intelligent gray, lighter than the teen's, and there was an air around him that felt incredibly regal. "I can see what you mean; he does look like I could have been a relative of his."

"His tongue moves so fast, it's almost as if he fears a bird with steal it from his mouth." Yodel sighed, amused. "He did give me a name; Akihiko, although I'd be hard-pressed to spell it for you." Nodding, the bishop gave Akihiko a nod. "Young Master? This is Count Pent of House Reglay, Mage General of Etruria, and one of the finest gentlemen I have ever met."

"You flatter me, Yodel." Pent laughed, shaking his head before looking Akihiko over; the teen's shirt had been discarded for the monks to tend to the injuries he had, and Akihiko had thrown off the spare shirt he'd been given a while ago. "You seem to be a fighter, Akihiko, from the scars you're boasting. And strong arms too." As if in test, the general reached forward and tapped Akihiko's arm.

The teen didn't remember swinging until Pent was holding his fist in one hand, an eyebrow arched. "Well then, you're an interesting fellow!" Pent laughed, clearly amused. "That was one fast swing, and from the left side; I don't encounter too many left-handed warriors. A lot of the nobility have it in their hands that the left-hand is more prone to doing evil deeds, for some bizarre reason." He seemed even more impressed, watching Akihiko closely as he flexed a bit to get the arm away. "You've been training for a few years, haven't you?"

Akihiko grunted a bit, surprised; the newcomer had _caught _his swing without even blinking. True, Akihiko swinging with his left hand seemed to surprise him, but not by much. Scowling, he swung with the right, which was dodged just as smoothly as the first one had been caught. This _never _happened, and all the frustration that had been building up since his arrival was starting to cloud his judgment.

A series of attempted swings later, and the next thing Akihiko registered was stars in his eyes as he crashed onto the floor and banged his head on the cot he had been given. Yodel let out a tittering noise as he knelt beside the teen, healing him. Pent dusted off his hands with a chuckle, grey eyes pleased. "So his hand-to-hand combat is _very _impressive for his apparent age; is he fourteen? Fifteen?"

"I was thinking eighteen myself, but until we can understand what he says, who can say for sure." Yodel gave a sigh, shaking his head. "Please, warn me before you start testing him as if he were a recruit in the future, alright? I about had a heart attack when you tripped him up."

"Many apologies, Father Yodel, but he seemed agitated about something." Pent gave a polite bow in apology. "But really, he's interesting. Granted, probably not for under my command – he seems happier to hit things than stand at the rear and lob fireballs into the fray – but I'm sure Douglas would love to try and teach him a few things. The nobleborn lads normally start complaining when he makes them run laps."

"Can you at least wait until I begin teaching him the basics in speech?" Yodel shook his head in amusement. Pent laughed and nodded, holding up his hands in surrender. "But do send Douglas down here to see him soon, General Pent. It would be good to get his opinion of the lad before you throw him in with the nobleborn lads."

"Ah, they'll be more upset that there's a young commoner keeping pace with them at the least, if not besting them." Pent chuckled more as he left. "It might actually encourage them to work a bit harder, and that will make Douglas's day in a right hurry." Yodel shook his head with a soft chuckle, helping Akihiko up onto the cot.

"Rest some, Young Master; I'll send one of the younger acolytes up with dinner when it is ready. I'll make sure it's something meatier than just a small meal, seeing as how you'll hopefully be with other young fighters soon." Akihiko, even though he couldn't understand the bishop was saying, nodded and rested against the cot. The back of his head still smarted, so perhaps he could rest and get _that _to stop at least. Yodel gave him a gentle smile before patting his hands and leaving, quietly shutting the door.

Waiting until he was gone, Akihiko rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, nerves filling him. [Dammit Shinji, where _are _you?] He whispered before closing his eyes, ready to rest.

* * *

(?)  
Today had NOT been Mitsuru's day.

Scowling, the red-head crossed her arms over her chest as she looked around the cell she had been given. After waking up in a marshland after Ikutsuki's betrayal, the heiress had stumbled about, cursing the loss of her Evoker to the swamplands as she tried to figure out where she was. She had also lost her rapier at some point in the chaos , leaving her with just the dagger she would use to parry. Swearing in French, she had tried to find where she was, Penthesilea scanning around to try and find the others, to no avail.

And then someone riding on a miniature dragon had decided to harass her.

Huffing and flushing at that, Mitsuru decided that perhaps she had been a touch rash. The man in armor had been speaking a corrupted take on Latin, which she _could _speak, but her temper was so fried and he was being so _rude, _calling her a brothel girl and a pig... She had called him things her mother would have scolded her for, and then slapped him across the face.

Then she had gotten herself thrown in a small cell in a border patrol castle, leaving her glowering at the guards, one of which had gotten a taste of her nails for trying to cop a feel. She was fairly certain he was scared of her, if the way he kept glancing at her in her cell was any indication. Why they were holding her hostage, she didn't know, but now that she had somewhat calmed herself, Mitsuru was ready to argue her way out of this dank place.

At least, she wanted clothes that weren't soaked with swampland muck.

"Commander Vaida, the woman's a nutcase!" Oh, there was the man who had insulted her in the first place.

"And You know what, Gavin? You have the manners of a pig. Shove off until I talk with her, and once I get her side of things, I'll decide on how to punish you for being a royal arse to a lass." That voice was new, feminine, quite coarse, and reminded Mitsuru of a _very _put out etiquette instructor she had once had as a small girl. Shifting a bit, Misturu tried to make herself look as presentable as possible as the Commander she was apparently going to be talking to arrived.

The gate to her cell opened, and Mitsuru looked up to see a woman in red and black armor enter the cell with her, her blonde hair cropped short. She looked hard and stern, and a wry smirk crossed her red lips as she crossed her arms over her chest before looking Mitsuru over. "Well, I'll really have to slap Gavin and the rest of the lads here for not getting you a change of clothes. It's hard for a woman to keep her dignity if she's covered in muck." The blonde woman let out a bark of a laugh before leaning out of the cell, shouting orders to fetch Mitsuru a change of clothing.

"You are .. not quite what I was expecting." Mitsuru replied, speaking slowly; her Latin was rusty, and the way they were talking felt almost closer to Italian at times. Who knew if she said something that was offensive. The woman who was speaking with her, at least, seemed amused.

"Why're you talking like you've been trapped in a cave for the past four hundred years?" The blonde woman asked, settling down in the cell once again.

"I'm … Not from around here." Mitsuru admitted with a sigh, shifting. So they were speaking closer to Italian, but at least they understood what she was saying. "My … my friends and I were separated when we arrived."

"So there's more of ya, eh?" A wry grin spread across the other woman's mouth. "Hopefully not all of 'em landed face down in the Bernish muck; the king's been oddly paranoid as of late, and a bunch of foreigners dressed as oddly as you are would probably give the old bat an aneurism." Letting a chuckle escape her, Mitsuru lifted her head as a new man in armor approached the cell; his hair was a shocking emerald green, a streak of white to one side. "Ah, thanks, Heath." The blonde woman took the clothing he offered her. "Go let the lads know I'm still talking with our friend here, and she's not a raving madwoman. Let them know to focus on the wyverns we just caught off the mountains; that young female is a feisty one."

"Understood, Commader Vaida. Ma'am." The knight – Mitsuru registered his name as Heath – bowed to them both before leaving, and the now named Commander Vaida offered Mitsuru the clothes.

"Thank you." Shifting a bit, Mitsuru fidgeted and glanced out the cell door; there didn't appear to be any of the men around, and Vaida had turned to give her some sense of privacy. Not wanting to remain in the muddy clothing longer, Mitsuru changed fast, approving of the clothing that she had been offered. It was a simple pair of breeches with a female tunic to wear over it, the fabric for both thick and wooly, the breeches dyed a stormcloud gray color while the tunic was red trimmed in black. "This seems … rather warm for the season." She commented as she readjusted her belt and boots.

"Bah, you're in the mountains; it's always gonna be colder up here." Vaida countered as she turned around, sitting back down. "Now, unfortunately, I'm going to have to go through the formalities; while I highly doubt you're a spy from somewhere far away – at least, not a spy; Gavin said you spoke in a random language to him before you slapped him." The blonde grinned at Mitsuru's flush. "But, as I said, the King of Bern's been an odd, crotchety bat as of late."

"So I have to be taken in for questioning?" Mitsuru sighed, already wondering as to how she was going to explain herself.

"No need to haul you to the capitol; I've got you here." Vaida shrugged. "I can do the questioning here, and if you're not a spy, I can let you go and the king doesn't have to be any wiser to your arrival." Hesitating for a moment, Mitsuru gave a nod of understanding, and settled into place. "Huh, that's when most people start panicking, impressive, Ruby."

"I truly have nothing to hide." Mitsuru replied, not minding the name Vaida used to refer to her; a Japanese name would stand out like nothing else in this strange world. _[Well … I suppose having to hide that I came from a world beyond this one doesn't count. I did say I came from somewhere far away; it's a lie of omission, true, but I'd rather not be locked up for being mad.] _She told herself mentally, answering the questions as Vaida gave them to her.

"... Huh, you really don't have anything to hide." Vaida nodded after a moment, face set in a stern line as she crossed her arms over her chest. "And your group of friends sounds interesting. What was a group of mercenaries like you doing coming to Elibe, then?"

"... To be honest, we had no intentions of coming here." Mitsuru admitted, tugging on the curl that fell over her shoulder. "The ship we were on was destroyed, and we all made for the first landmass we saw through the waves."

"There was that massive storm a few days ago off the coast, true." Vaida gave another nod. "So not only are you lot _lost _as to where you're going anyway_, _but the group of you are scattered across Elibe?" At Mitsuru's nod, she growled. "Blast; that's truly frustrating, and you seem confused enough by the situation that I can't say without a doubt that you're a spy. You don't seem like the type of person who'd do well as a spy; someone gets you on your pride, and you seem like the type to throw all caution to the wind."

Biting back a wince at how eerily perceptive the woman was – she was a general, so that did make sense that she should be able to read her soldiers so well – Mitsuru gave a nod. "I mean no disrespect, but I would like to leave and find them, so we might leave and head for our actual destination once again."

"Can't say I blame ya there. Gavin didn't exactly give you a good first impression of the knights of Bern." Shifting a bit, Vaida nodded. "Well then, Ruby, I suppose it's fair I let you go. Your dagger will be outside of the door as well with the traveling cloak, and I'm certain Gavin'd be willing to compensate for his lack of manners." At this, she gave a wolfish grin. "You're not the first lass he's given problems, so it's time to remind him that he needs manners when talking to people who aren't his superiors or comrades."

"I … Thank you." Giving a bow of the head, Mitsuru stood up after Vaida did. The blonde woman gave her a wry smile as they both left the cell, Vaida heading off to presumably get on the solder 'Gavin' about his attitude. Mitsuru's dagger was indeed waiting for her, along with a wool traveling cloak that seemed to be lined with some sort of fur; she couldn't tell exactly what kind, but it was soft.

Pulling it on her shoulders, Mitsuru shivered as a blast of cold air hit her; a glance around showed that there was an open door, several men and women in armor resembling Vaida's scurrying about, all of them with a miniature dragon – wyverns, Mitsuru reminded herself; Vaida had mentioned wyverns – close at hand. All of the soldiers seemed adjusted to the cold, and were pulling off cloaks like the one Mitsuru had been given as they walked past.

It didn't take Vaida too long to return with a small pouch full of gold and directions to the main path out of the mountains. She continued to refer to Mitsuru as 'Ruby', but at this point, the redhead didn't mind too much. That sort of name would provide good cover, and it would hopefully give her enough space as a 'freelance mercenary' to avoid any suspicion.

Content after a moment, Mitsuru started to head out in the direction she was pointed in, noticing with interest that there still seemed to be a few of the wyverns wandering about without the tack that she had seen on those with the soldiers. Perhaps these were captured ones for new recruits to practice on? The thought crossed her mind as she heard a high-pitched shriek up ahead, spotting several solders shouting and beginning to run about. It was soon obvious as to why; one of the wyverns, a deep russet color to its scales, had broken free and was causing havoc.

Not knowing what compelled her, the redhead raced forward and leaped onto the beast, wincing as she felt some of the scales cut through the cloak she had been given. Several of the soldiers had run off, fearing being bitten obvious on their faces. Scowling more, Mitsuru bit her lip before placing a hand on the wyvern's neck. Calling up Penthesilea to the best of her abilities while keeping the Persona concealed, a task that was surprisingly easy, she shot a blast of cold air into the wyvern's scales, bypassing the armor to hit the skin beneath.

She wasn't expecting the creature to take off flying in response, shrieking in an attempt to get her off as she shifted from trying to calm it down to holding on for dear life as it took off flying, heading for the mountains as several of the soldiers shouted in panic. From what Mitsuru could catch of their shouting over the wind, it sounded less like they were accusing her of theft as they were cursing the wyvern being too wild to tame, so at least she wouldn't have an army after her for theft.

After who knew how long, she grew agitated. [Listen to me, you gigantic scaled annoyance, you are going to _land _and let me off of your back!] Shouting in Japanese, she called up Penthesilea again, and this time threw a Bufula spell at the wyvern's head. The sudden impact and cold seemed to surprise it, making it turn to look at her … just in time for her to throw another ice block into it's face. [Land, damn you!]

It seemed as those the massive blocks of ice to the face had worked, as the wyvern began to spiral in for a landing. Once it had landed on solid ground, the wyvern lowered itself onto its haunches to let Mitsuru slide down onto the ground. Checking the pants, she winced; the thick fabric showed some tears from the flight. A low croon made her look up in surprise, finding the russet creature looking at her in concern. [_… Did it not realize I was riding it until I threw magic into its face?] _The redhead wondered, reaching out and patting it on the head. _[But at the same time … why is it being so complacent with me when it was causing the guards terror?] _

The wyvern crooned more under the patting, shuffling and settling down more. It didn't seem as wild as it had back at the mountain fortress, and a glance at a pair of shockingly intelligent eyes showed a flicker of respect and curiosity. "... Did they blindside you when capturing you?" She asked after a moment, running a hand over the ridges that covered the creature's head. A soft growl was her response, and after a moment, she started scratching; much to her amusement, the wyvern started wagging its tail. "Hehe, aren't you a gigantic puppy dog?" She commented after a moment, calming the beast more.

_[I suppose it would be cruel to just let her fly back, only to be captured again.] _At that, Mitsuru paused; when did she decide the wyvern was a 'her'? Was it just seeing some of her own attitude in the creature? As if in response, the wyvern lifted her head more to nuzzle against Mitsuru's face. Yelping a bit, she shook her head. "... Well, I don't know what I did to earn your respect like this, but if you wish to, you can come along or fly where you wish." She said after a moment, adjusting herself. "I need to find a town to rest at, and get some food."

The wyvern nodded at that, and began to follow Mitsuru as the redhead got onto the path. Turning her head when she realized such, she chuckled. "Well, if you insist." She sighed, earning a happy growl as the russet beast sped up a bit to keep pace with her. "But I'm going to need to name you; calling you lizard just seems rude." At that, she started to think, keeping her eyes scanning for any thieves that might be lying in wait. After a moment, she turned to her scaly companion. "How about 'Hippolyta'?"

To her shock, the wyvern nodded her head, tail swishing behind her again. Chuckling, Mitsuru gave a nod. "Very well then, Hippolyta; on the list of supplies to get at town, I'm adding a saddle for you." She stated, brushing her hair out of her face. "... And something to restrain my hair; won't be able to see a thing if its all loose like this while flying." Hippolyta's response was another nod, still trotting along beside her.

_[… Well, I've always wanted a pet... I guess a Wyvern counts.]_

* * *

**_Tori's Notes: _**_Not going to lie, the scene where Junpei was meeting Fae was my favorite part of writing this chapter. Also I'll explain why Athos appears to be speaking Japanese at a later date, but for now? It's wizard hax. _

_But yes, these first few chapters will be setting up where the members of S.E.E.S wind up on Elibe, and chapter four we'll pop back to Iwatodai to see how badly things are fairing over there. *shot* And no, Yukari's not dead either; I'll get back to her and the other two members of Strega at chapter four, but Takaya is officially dragon food because fuck Takaya. _

_Now, minor things;_

_-Mitsuru's wyvern was impressed by her being ballsy enough to throw a pair of ice attacks right in her face, which is why she mellowed out so fast; her new riders is every bit as stubborn as her, and Hippolyta likes that. _

_-I know I didn't mention Akihiko's Evoker at all, but there is a good chance the monks sensed the negative aura it let out and destroyed it, with him not noticing yet. Junpei and Koromaru still have their own, and Mitsuru's was lost into the muck of Bern's swamps. _

_-As far as name translations go, I know Yodel's name has been localized as Jodel in Awakening, but Jodel is also the name of a Nazi so fuck that; sticking to Yodel. And Fae is Fae because Fae is a fae folk, plus I think of the musical scale when I hear 'Fa'._

_-For a bit of explanation in regards to the 'duuragoon' line with Junpei and Hawkeye; Japan has both Ryuu (竜 or 龍), which is used to describe the oriental dragons more often than not, alongside 'doragon' (ドラゴン), which is more often than not used for western style dragons. Junpei was using 'doragon' due to the dragons attacking Iwatodai being western in appearance, and 'duuragoon' was Hawkeye repeating it to Fae. Granted, my Japanese is not fluent, but those seem to be the most common ways of saying dragon; correct me if I'm wrong, please. (politely) _

_And with that, I'm going to savvy off for now; enjoy, and I'll see you guys next chapter for the next four I'm dropping off into god knows where on this continent. (Well, I know, but I think the locations might surprise you guys~) Tata~_


	3. Road of Trials Part II

(Mountains near Pherae)  
Eliwood let out a sigh, propping his head up on a hand. Normally he didn't mind coming out to the valley like this, but today was a boring day. He and Hector had decided to go hunting today, but none of the elk in the valley had been seen, prompting Hector to go looking off for something else to entertain him.

Eliwood himself didn't stand out too much; his flame red hair and crystal blue eyes both local to the area he was from, and he was wearing a plain black tunic over his white breeches and brown boots. His belt hosted a rapier on the right side, and he was holding a bow and quiver for hunting as he walked among the tall trees that covered a fair share of the valley's floor. As he kept walking, a strange smell hit his nose, making him frown a bit. "What on earth …?" He muttered, curiosity taking over as he began to walk towards where the smell kept coming from. It almost smelt like someone was burning oil, but it was hard to enter the valley if you didn't know what you were doing. Perhaps a night patrol from Bern had dropped their lamp?

After a while, Eliwood frowned a bit as the trees thinned out, revealing a long path of churned up earth. "What could have...?" Muttering more to himself, the redhead followed the trail of upturned earth, stringing the bow and grabbing an arrow; if it was something dangerous, he could hit it from long range and keep some distance between him and the source of the damage. "Who goes there?" He asked after a moment, reaching the end of the dirt trail.

To his surprise, there seemed to be someone lying in the dirt. Cautious, as he didn't' know who this person was, Eliwood kept the bow at the ready as he crept closer. When he was on level with the person, however, he did a double take. "How...?" Dropping the bow, the redhead walked closer and knelt, reaching under the 'person's' armpits to drag them out of the dirt. He wasn't prepared for the weight, and almost fell over from the first pull. "Blast! What in Naga's name...?" Cutting off to a string of muttered curses in Magvelian, Eliwood succeeded in pulling the person out of their dirt pile after about five minutes, and got them onto their back.

"What on earth have I discovered this time?" The redhead asked himself after a moment, scratching his head.

The 'person' he had pulled out of the dirt appeared to be made out of metal, but the shape was feminine in design. The majority of the body was a sort of murky brown color, but that was most likely to crashing into the dirt; a quick rub with his traveling cloak to the woman's arm showed that most of her body was white beneath the grime. Flashes of gold at her 'joints' were visible, and her wrists and the tips of her fingers were a deep charcoal color. The charcoal color was also present at the end of her legs, which Eliwood was assuming where her legs. Her face was incredibly human, with blonde hair and a face that looked somewhere between pained and asleep; a red and gold headband covered the area where her ears should be, and a tattered red ribbon was fastened around her neck.

'… Okay, I know that I'm not dreaming this … but still, _what _in Naga's name is she?'

His brain was constantly running the words 'Golem' over and over in his brain, but that made no sense; a quick glance over her didn't show any of the runes associated with Golems on her, and those were usually made of clay or stone, not metal. Metal went towards armor and weaponry and tools, not for making life-sized puppets.

"... Maybe if I figure out how to wake her up ..." He wondered, kneeling and tapping her on the 'shoulder'. The smell of oil hit his nose again, making Eliwood grimace. "Please don't tell me she's been damaged beyond repair; it'd be cruel to leave her like this."

"Oi, Eliwood!" The shout of his name made him jump a bit, turning to look as Hector came out of the forest. The other young man was taller than Eliwood by half a foot, and much broader from musculature. His hair was a short cropped sapphire, and his eyes were a dark enough shade of blue to appear black at a distance. He was walking in armor like most men handled fabric, and he carried a heavy crossbow instead of the regular hunting bow that Eliwood himself had nearby. "I managed to get a couple of elks; I left them with the … horses ..." Hector tapered off as he saw the unconscious figure on the ground next to Eliwood. "... Okay, I know this valley is older than the Scouring, but what in Father Sky's name did you dig up _this _time?"

"That's what I would like to know, Hector." Eliwood sighed, tapping the woman on her shoulder with a bit more force. "I found her like this, really; still trying to figure out how she got here, let alone what she is." Lifting his head a bit as Hector came over to look himself, Eliwood stood. "maybe there's clues where she landed ..." Heading over a few feet, the redhead slid into the trench he had pulled the girl from. At a first glance, it appeared empty, but something black rested a stone's throw down the dirt trench that had been made. "?" Walking over, Eliwood picked it up, confused to hear something rattling inside. "What's this?" He asked himself, noting with interest that there appeared to be a hollow rectangle on top of it, like it was supposed to connect to something; perhaps the charcoal part of the girl's forearms?

"How do I open...?" Muttering, the redhead managed to undo a latch on the bottom of the cylindrical canister when he found it, letting it split in half to reveal strange, arrowhead like pieces of metal rattling around inside. "? What on earth are …?" He asked, picking one up and examining it up close. "I've never seen anything like this..."

"Uhm, Eliwood?" Hector's surprised call made Eliwood drop the arrowhead like object back into the canister, shutting it with a snap before stuffing it into his belt pouch as he turned around.

"Yes, Hector?" He asked, trotting over to where he had left his friend and the strange woman. Hectors arms were held up, and he was holding the ribbon in one of his hands. The girl was not only sitting up, but glaring at Hector with the intensity of an angry wildcat, her hands extended to point directly in the larger male's face. Eliwood half suspected she would be firing thunderbolts out of them if she could.

"I think I woke her up." Hector deadpanned when Eliwood reached him.

[**Systems engaged; core of Papillon Heart exposed. Take aggressive action until all threats are eliminated.]**

"Okay I do not understand a word of what she just said, but she sounds pissed." Hector commented. "You understanding what she's saying?"

"No." Eliwood replied, sighing and shaking his head. "And it's your own fault she's angry."

"Well kicking her in the side didn't wake her up!" The blue-haired lord protested, earning a flabbergast look.

"Your manners are horrible! Eliwood countered, hitting Hector on the head.

"What are you two doing now?" Both of the teens looked up at that, turning as a third man walked towards them. He resembled Eliwood strongly, save for his hair being less vibrant and a moustache covering his upper lip. He dressed every bit as plainly as the younger two, confusion on his face as he neared them. "And what's this you've discovered now?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out, Father." Eliwood admitted, scratching his head. "Hector did something to wake her up, but she speaks in a language we don't understand, and I suspect her pose should be threatening … if she didn't look so confused."

"Oh hi Lord Elbert. Little help?" The blue-haired lordling asked, looking up from where he was kneeling.

Elbert let out a sigh and shook his head. "I leave you two alone here for ten minutes ..." Stepping forward, he gave the strange girl a look over before turning to Hector. "What did you do right before she woke up?"

"Pulled this off of her neck." Hector admitted, holding up the tattered red ribbon.

"Well then put it back on." Eliwood slapped his forehead with a hand, an action his father mirrored. "There's obviously something important in her neck that she was hiding with that ribbon, if that's the case." The blue-haired lord muttered something, but followed up on the suggestion. After a moment of cursing, he had gotten a haphazard bow tied around the blonde woman's neck, and she seemed to relax and lowered her arms.

[Language sensors do not detect Japanese in use.] She was speaking after a moment, face frustrated. [This is most bizarre. Was that doorway a portal into another dimension?] Eliwood blinked at that, scratching his head before clearing his throat. When the blonde woman was looking at him again, he began speaking to her in Magvelian; Elbert had never seen a person's face go so confused so fast.

"... Okay he was talking too fast and I'm not good at this yet. What'd he ask her?" Hector scratched his head in confusion, looking at Elbert.

"He explained how you two found her and asked for her name." Elbert gave a nod, used to the sudden language switch. As it was, the blonde's jaw was agape as she stared at Eliwood like he had removed his own head for a magic trick.

[… What the hell?]

The younger redhead let out a sigh. "Well, it was worth a shot." Kneeling again, he offered the stranger a hand up. "Perhaps Mother'd have better luck?" He suggested, looking towards the mountains.

"Most likely, yes." Elbert nodded, undoing the cloak that he was wearing and draping it over the strange woman. "Here; it wouldn't do well for the commonfolk to panic at the sight of you. We don't know if you're a danger or not yet, and it wouldn't be good to see anyone getting hurt due to a misunderstanding with a foreigner, even if she is a golem."

"I don't think they could hurt her unless they took a hammer to her." Hector shrugged, folding his arms behind his head. "From what I could tell, she's made of fine quality steel and hard-fired ceramic for the legs; that's the sort of armaments you'd see on an armored knight back home in Ostia."

"Perhaps we should send her with you then." Elbert commented.

"Oh HELL no! Do you know how badly Luna would get after me?" The blue-haired lord groaned.

"Yes, but at the same time, she does know a lot about strange things." Elbert countered. Eliwood shook his head as he listened, deciding to assist the stranger and explain to her that they just wanted to help her get out of the valley. "Besides, you'll have to inform about this about this as is."

"Uther's _used _to this sort of insanity! Luna'd be one who'd pry and prod and I don't know what blondie can do but I'd rather not-"

"Excuse me." Eliwood spoke up after a moment, making both Elbert and Hector turn to him. Nodding after a moment, he turned to the blonde woman, who gave a polite bow, even if her movements were oddly stiff. "She actually spoke up a bit while you two were debating; her name is Aigis, and she's apparently referred to as a 'gynoid' where she comes from. Her 'battery' is also low, otherwise she would be speaking more; something about an electrical charge fixing that." The now named Aigis nodded her head at that, almost swaying on her feet. "She said her charge had about an hour left, so it's being reserved in case of emergencies."

"Well, if it's an electrical charge, I'm certain Eleanor could assist there." Elbert gave a nod. "And the elk will make the cooks happy; I managed to get a large one myself, so the market can have that one. We should head back to Phyrexia for the day before the sun starts to set." Eliwood and Hector nodded in agreement, and Aigis followed suit after a moment. "Alright, let's head out then. Marcus is waiting for us at the horses."

"Aigis can ride with me." Hector gave a nod. "Belle's a big enough horse to carry me and a regular-sized person, but we'll be taking up the rear." His suggestion was greeted with nods of agreement as they started walking, Aigis making sure to stick close at hand.

Sure enough, the small group of four reached the horses fast, a fifth person waiting on horseback with the elks strapped to the back of his horse's body. Breaking off, Elbert went to speak to him as Eliwood and Hector lead Aigis towards two of the mounts, making the blonde blink; the horses were every bit as contrasting as their riders. One was a storm cloud gray with white markings, while the other one was immense and almost pitch black.

"... The black one looks as if it is a bear wearing a horse's skin." Aigis spoke up, making Hector turn to her in amusement.

"Huh, you _can_ talk." He chuckled. "You also sound like you've been buried in the ground for a few centuries, but I'm sure we can get that ironed out once you get more energy in ya." The blue-haired man's grin grew wolfish as he whistled, calling the black horse towards them. "And as for the comment about Belle, she's gonna be the one carrying you."

Aigis just stared at him like he was mad; the fact that her head didn't even come up to the top of 'Belle's' withers wasn't helping her either. "I beg your pardon?"

"What? She doesn't bite."

"Hector, you might have to help her up." Eliwood countered, already on the grey horse. "She's … not exactly a giant like you are." The blonde nodded in agreement, noting with a slight touch of fear that she only came up to Hector's chest and was currently staring at the center of his breastplate.

"Bah, fair enough." Hector shook his head. "Want just a leg up, lass? Or should I just pick you up and set you on her back?" Aigis continued to stare at him like a mad man, making the blue-haired lord sigh. "Alright, fine, I'll just pick you up." Not giving the blonde a chance to protest, Hector had her scooped up and on the horse's back in about a minute or so. "Huh, she weighs less that you do Eliwood."

Eliwood responded with a rather rude suggestion in Magvelian, getting a laugh out of Hector as he swung up into the saddle behind the now very flustered Aigis; the girl had no idea as to how to respond, and the black horse didn't seem to even notice her presence on her back. Elbert arrived later on a blue roan, amused by the situation.

"You might want to relax, miss; being stiff as a board makes it easier to fall off." He stated before nodding, leading the way towards a small pathway that seemed to lead out of the valley. Aigis yelped as Hector got Belle to follow, gripping onto the horse's broad neck to keep from falling over. Hector gave a chuckle at that, but let her adjust herself as they left the valley.

Aigis had no clue what to think, and settled herself as best as she could. Her low battery warning was beeping inside of her head, and she couldn't detect any of her comrades … At the moment though, she was grateful that one of the scientists had programmed Latin and English speech recognition into her speech parameters (The younger redhead had spoken to her in some strange language that hadn't been programmed in). She could communicate with these people, and for that, she was thankful.

Perhaps they could help her find her friends …

* * *

(Ilia)  
Fuuka whimpered, trying to curl up tighter as she looked around. Nothing but snow as far as she could see, and an empty sky overheard to show the first signs of evening rolling in. _[If … if I don't find some form of shelter soon, I'll freeze to death …]_ She thought to herself, forcing her body to keep moving. Already, she was recounting the medical expertise her extended family had given to her over the years, mentally ticking off the facts and symptoms of hypothermia and frostbite she'd begun to gain.

Thankfully, she had spotted a light a short distance away, and was doing her best to trudge through the waist high snow to get to it. Wherever she had landed, it clearly didn't understand that it was _summer. _Or at least the warmer half of autumn, but the main thing was that Fuuka had never been in snow this high before in her life, and she was quickly growing tired.

As she continued to force her way through the snow – she was edging closer to the source of the light, at least – Lucia continued to exist in the back of her brain, scanning. The teal-haired girl was trying to see if she could locate her friends, but wasn't having much luck. At least the Persona had picked up the presence of people at the source of the light, so that was something. _[I just hope I reach there without losing too many toes …]_

It felt like it took half an hour or so to finally reach the little hut, and Fuuka was certain she would have collapsed long ago if Lucia hadn't kept nudging her to keep moving from inside her soul. The natural light was fully gone now, leaving her stumbling into a fence with a small yelp. The teal-haired girl was sure it would have hurt more if most of her body wasn't numb. [_Okay Fuuka, just get yourself to the door …] _Pushing herself forward, Fuuka shivered a bit more before feeling her legs give out from the sudden drop in snow level. Somehow, the snow on the other side of the fence was pounded much flatter, and only came up to her ankles. [How?]

Her question was answered when a long, snow white face butted against hers, a set of blue reins on its face. Yelping in shock, the girl stared up as it turned out to be a horse that proceeded to look her over, nudging her with its muzzle to see if she was still breathing. After a moment, it let out a snort before trotting to the hut, allowing Fuuka to spy a large pair of elegant wings on its sides. _[… Am I dying of the cold?] _she wondered. _[Horses don't have wings …]_

As she watched, the winged horse butted its head against the door, letting out a whinny. It seemed to alert whoever was inside, and a second later the door opened to reveal a person about Fuuka's height with a mass of curly hair, the features hard to determine from the back lighting.

"Huey?" It was a girl in the doorway, at least as far as she could tell without understanding the words. Fuuka felt Lucia kick into a scan, and to her surprise – and relief – the girl did indeed seem to have an Arcana ; Priestess, much like the teal-haired girl herself. Lucia couldn't understand what she was saying either, though. "What is it? You know that the mastiffs will chase off any wolves ..."

Huey – Fuuka assumed that the winged horse was Huey – whickered again before turning towards her, lying on the snowy ground. The girl in the doorway turned to look as well, and let out a squeak of surprise before grabbing something beside the door and then bolting towards Fuuka. "O-oh my gosh! What are you doing out here?" She squeaked, revealing that the thing she was holding was a cloak made out of what Fuuka would have sworn was fur. "Your clothes look so thin, you must be freezing ..."

Not understanding a word of what was said, Fuuka gave a weak nod as she tried to get up; the cold was starting to set in, so she really had to get up and off of the ground, but she was so tired … To her surprise, she felt something nudging her from behind, and reached up. Her fingers gripped onto thick, incredibly warm fur, and it felt so good that she clung with all her strength as she was lifted onto her feet by something.

The girl with the cloak let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank you so much Sophie." She said to what Fuuka was gripping onto as she draped the fur cloak over Fuuka's body. "Now, just get her inside, please?" Fuuka was aware of something whickering and being carried to the door as the other girl darted towards the doorway. "Fiora! The Pegasi found a stranger in the pasture, and she seems so lost …!"

Fuuka was aware of a flurry inside the house – Lucia informed her that the second person in there was of the Strength Arcana – but she was more focused on what she was clinging onto. It was a second winged horse, but this one was a deep coal black in color. Deep brown eyes focused on her in concern as the horse brought her to the door, Huey moving a bit to give the other horse space. She was aware of a pair of feminine hands grabbing her, and she reluctantly let go of her four-legged savior to be brought into the hut.

It was so nice and warm inside … She was aware of the same hands stripping her and tossing the cold, wet clothing aside, gently rubbing warmth into her frozen limbs. Fuuka knew she had to stay awake, but she couldn't comprehend much of anything for what Lucia later informed her was three hours, when she finally shook herself out of a stupor beside a roaring fire, the people that had saved her hovering nearby with the biggest looks of worry on their faces.

They looked to be sisters, judging by their face and body shapes. The one that was closer to Fuuka's own size was the one with curly hair, now revealed to be a soft lavender color, and the gentle curls fell around her face and shoulders to frame the deep, seafoam green eyes she shared with her sister. The other – Fuuka was willing to bet she was an older sister – had hair that reminded her of forget-me-nots, as straight as her younger sister's hair was curly. Both of them wore white dresses that were even shorter than Fuuka's uniform had been, boots and leggings going up to the middle of their thighs. She suspected that something about the dresses – were they a sort of uniform as well – was magical for them to not be bothered at all by the frigid weather.

"Ah, bless the Saint, it's a relief to see you responding." The elder one said, letting out a heavy sigh as she placed a hand to her collarbone. "Florina and I were worried that we were too late for a while there." The younger one gave a nod in agreement, and while Fuuka still couldn't understand what was being said to her, she gave a not of understanding. It wasn't that hard to notice the sheer amount of relief in the elder sister's voice.

"I … I'm just glad that Huey was smart enough to get us ..." The younger spoke up, nodding. Fuuka glanced at her, giving a shy smile; she felt a connection that she couldn't quite explain yet, but it seemed that the lavender-haired girl did as well, if the way she gave a small smile back was any indication. "But … You're not from around here, are you? Most people don't come out to Ilia, let alone dressed like you did."

"Not only that, but your facial structure is unusual to the area. No offense." The elder one continued, making Fuuka turn to look at her. "And we've never seen clothes made like yours before; I'm sorry, but I couldn't figure out how to undo them in time, so I ended up cutting them to get them off of you." She glanced to one side as she spoke, revealing the cut up fabric. "I'm just grateful you and Florina are the same size."

Following the older girl's look, Fuuka sighed at the sight of her clothing. [It … it's alright. I would have died for sure if you hadn't gotten me out of those clothes so fast.] She explained, giving a polite bow from where she sat. She could hear the apologetic tone in Strength's voice, and Priestess was giving her a relieved look despite the puzzlement in her eyes.

"I've never heard that language before." Strength commented, voice soft. "You probably can't speak Elibean at all, and to get lost enough to wind up here in Ilia ..."

A quiet neigh at the door made the girls look at it, Priestess getting up and walking to it after a moment. The black winged horse was standing there, ears perked forward as it craned over Priestess to look around. "S-Sophie?" She squeaked, blushing.

"She was probably worried as well." Strength seemed amused, nodding to Fuuka. "Sophie's always been an odd one, after all ..." At this, she seemed to glance between Sophie and Fuuka, seafoam eyes curious. "I wonder …" Offering Fuuka a hand, Strength led her over to Sophie. "Florina? Move please?" The lavender-haired sister nodded and moved, leaving Fuuka facing Sophie in the doorway.

Swallowing, the teal-haired girl reached out and put a hand on the black muzzle in front of her. Brown eyes focused on her again, ears perked forward. Fuuka swallowed a bit; now that she could actually see the creature, the coal black fur and feathers were actually quite smooth and glossy, and Sophie seemed content.

[You're so soft …] Fuuka couldn't help but giggle. [So you're Sophie? You were the one who helped carry me in, thank you.] Sophie let out an agreeing noise, and actually bobbed her head in what Fuuka figured was a nod, making her giggle again.

"Well, I'll be." Strength was amused. "Florina, it looks like our guest was meant to come here after all. Sophie's normally not keen on strangers."

"Fiora, you told me all black pegasi preferred riders with a stronger bond to magic." Priestess added, looking towards Fuuka. "That's why the healers and mages in the Pegasus Knights all ride black pegasi."

"Correct." Nodding again, the blue-haired sister walked over. "Sophie sweetie, back up please; you can worry over our guest more in the morning. Right now we need to get food in her and get her some rest." Sophie let out a noise of annoyance, but backed up after a moment. Fuuka stepped aside to let her close the door. "Also, we should introduce ourselves." Strength chuckled before extending a hand. "Fiora."

Fuuka blinked for a moment before taking the offered hand. "... Fuuka." She said after a moment, taking Fiora's name to heart. Lucia didn't detect any ill-will among them, and they had helped her out.

"Fuuka, hmm? Even your name is unusual." Fiora gave a nod, stepping aside to let her sister approach. Fuuka was amused to see that they were indeed almost the same size.

"H-hi there, miss Fuuka." The lavender-haired sister had her hands in front of her chest, the fingers steepled as she spoke. "I'm Florina ..." Fuuka gave a shy giggle, waving her hand at the other girl. Florina responded with a giggle of her own, making Fiora shake her head in amusement.

"Well, I'll be, Florina." She stated when the other two girls turned to look at her. "You have a kindred spirit. The more and more I look at it, the more and more I wonder if she was supposed to come here." Both Florina and Fuuka blushed – the latter from seeing the former do so – and Fiora just laughed. "Well, Florina, I guess the first thing to do would be to help her learn how to speak Elibean, if only enough for her to explain that she's not from here. I'll go ahead and make dinner."

"Okay." Nodding, Florina shyly reached out and took Fuuka's hand, leading her over to a hanging wool curtain. "Sorry, the beds are here. I'm ah … not the best teacher, but I'll do my best okay?"

Fuuka just smiled back and nodded; she was in good hands.

* * *

_(The Isle of Valor)  
_Ken huddled in the decrepit ruins, watching warily as the figures walking patrol passed dangerously close to his hiding spot. Nemesis was screeching in the back of his head in warning, making the young boy even more cautious as he laid as still as he could, grateful that the heavy wool coat Shinjiro had given him was a neutral tone of grey on the reverse side. He didn't want to know what would happen if the figures spotted him, having no weapon and no Evoker to help him out. Those golden eyes were frightening, and it took all of the young boy's willpower to keep from freaking out.

He had come to relatively fast, and immediately wished he hadn't; the place he had landed felt like a suffocating aura was pressing on him, and the people he was now hiding from were crawling around a broken down chapel. All of them had that pure white skin and pitch black hair, offsetting one another and making the gold eyes even more frightening as they walked around. Ken had tried to sneak away as fast as he could while still keeping the noise he made to a minimum, but hadn't gotten too far.

It seemed like he had given them the slip for now, as they were pacing around trying to find where he had hidden himself. It was only two of the massive group he had seen before, but one of them was on a horse, and the other one had a magical aura that made Ken nervous to be around for much longer. The broken handle of a polearm lay near one of his hands, so he supposed that if worse cane to worse, he could _try _to fight back, but he wanted to avoid that at all costs.

_[don't move don't move don't move don't move don't move don't move don't move don't move don't move don't move don't move don't move don'tfuckingmove]_

The thought was starting to loop around his brain to the point of insanity, blending with Nemesis's cries of agitation to form a sort of static that made Ken hyper aware of his surroundings. It was still just those two … _things _there, but he thought he could hear something else moving in the background. It didn't sound like it was coming closer, at least.

The gold-eyed creature with the magical aura stepped closer, its boot a finger's length away from Ken's hand. The boy's heartbeat began to pound even harder, joining the already maddening mantra running through his brain. Whatever was a ways off in the background was now moving closer, and he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up straight for reasons he didn't understand.

"_Ego, qui in plena luce caeli stare præcipio tibi aperire portas inferi. Egredere, divino fulmine!"_

The chanting made Ken pause, staring as several small orbs of light collected around the two figures. Both of them seemed to realize they were in danger, as they kept spinning around, but to no avail. The boy watched as the orbs of light began to grow in numbers before exploding, a sudden bolt of white lightning crashing down from the canopy.

When Ken looked again, there was nothing but a charred mark on the ground, a pile of ash slowly blowing away on the wind.

Nemesis seemed to have calmed down, but the adrenaline kept Ken's heart racing as he grabbed the broken weapon haft, hearing whatever was in the background draw closer and closer. The boy began slowly turning, keeping his movements to a minimum as the shape continued to come closer. With a final snap, the twisted tree that separated Ken from the approaching thing was gone.

And standing in front of him was something that he was both relieved and scared to see.

It was another person, a middle-aged man in white robes that were trimmed in various shades of indigo. A pale lavender cloak covered his shoulders, and his left hand was holding a golden staff with a rounded blue stone on the top, emitting a pale light. Dark eyes looked down at Ken, studying him for a moment as the boy stared back up at him.

"At ease, child." The man spoke after a moment, his voice deep and weary. Ken shuddered a bit more, not understanding him, but Nemesis wasn't screeching out warnings now that the two creatures had been destroyed. Keeping his hand on the broken piece of wood, the boy stood up slowly, his other hand gripping the coat. Another piercing stare looked him over. "... You are not of this world, child from the Outrealms."

[… Where am I?] Ken asked after a moment, looking around. [I was just told to come here … Dragons took over where I came from, so I came here with a …] He paused, not knowing what to call Shinjiro. A part of him wanted to say 'comrade' after what had happened, but at the same time, the memory of his mom was still burned into his brain. [… An acquaintance.] He finished after a moment. [We got separated, but I …]. The elder reached out and put a hand on top of Ken's head, something in his gaze softening.

"... You remind me of someone I once taught." He muttered, ruffling the brunet's hair. "But this is not the place for speaking. Come; my shelter is some distance away, but it is safe." Ken gave a nod when he saw the man turn, trailing after him once he saw that he was expected to follow.

The forest around them both still felt as imposing as ever, and Ken was beginning to miss the sunlight. The oppressive aura seemed to be lessening, however, as the elder lead him to a more intact ruin that stood against a small brook. A good look showed the boy that a series of runes had been carved into the stone of the building, and while Ken couldn't read them, the feeling of protection was there as he was lead through the doorway put him at ease.

"We are safe here." The elder spoke up again, placing his light on a stone nearby. Like the round one in his staff, it lit up, the face casting an even glow the color of daylight. "The Morphs will not come here; the teachings of Saint Elimine burn their flesh." As he spoke, he walked over to a chest that was nearby, Ken following him. "I have spares that I can mend to better fit your frame; if you walk around as you are now, you will be found out as being from another plane."

Shivering a bit, Ken took the coat off to reverse it back out to the maroon wool exterior, blinking when he saw something silver fall out of the pocket. It bounced once, letting a lid spring open to reveal a watch face. Much to the brunet's shock, it kept on ticking away, oblivious to the change in location. [Ten forty... and if that little sun I see is any indication, it's AM.] picking it up as he spoke, Ken looked it over. There was a carving in the back, making him flip it over; a quick study showed it to be the kanji for 'Aragaki'. Shrugging, he went to put it in the pocket when he saw the small piece of paper nearby. [?] A quick unfold as he sat down – glancing at the elder showed him going through the chest for something still – and Ken felt his heart stop.

_[This is Mom's handwriting …]_

The memory of the strange look he'd gotten from Shinjiro at the Naganki Shrine flashed in his mind's eye. It had looked almost … protective, and Ken still found himself puzzled by it. The puzzlement was slowly followed by a sinking feeling in his stomach as he began to unfold the piece of paper more, until it was revealed to be a full letter in his mom's handwriting. Nemesis had gone dead quiet, retreating into the back of his mind as he dithered for a moment on if he should read or not. Biting his lip, Ken shook his head and started, not knowing what he'd find.

_**[You have a good memory, Shinjiro; Kaname's a common name, but you remembered that we used to live in the country, so you narrowed in on that. Not too many people would think of it, and for that, I'm happy … I got a job here in Iwatodai, so my husband and I moved here; he knows about you, and is perfectly happy to meet you himself when he comes back from overseas. An archeologist, before you ask. He makes good money, even if he is gone for half of the year; thank goodness for technology and Skype there! Do be a dear and tell me your cell phone number when we finally meet again, because I'm sure he'll want it too. He loves being a father so much I wonder why he didn't just decide to be a stay at home parent. I'm sorry about having to leave the two of you like I did -] **_

Ken paused at that, confused, before looking at the kanji his mother had used to write Shinjiro's name; surprisingly, it was spelled with three kanji – Ken only saw that with feminine names – the last two being 'second son'. His brain was still processing that not only was this in Shinjiro's possession, but that it was indeed his mom; the name Kaname was right, and his father had been an archeologist, but he'd gone missing in Cairo about two years ago … How had his mom forgotten to tell him that he had older brothers?!

Shaking his head, he continued reading.

_**[I'm sorry about leaving the two of you like I did, but I just couldn't support you. And I'm sorry Yoshiro left you; I hope he has a happier life elsewhere … I just wanted the best for you two. His anger at me isn't a surprise. You wanting to find me again was … Shinji, you … I just don't have any way to express it right now. But you'll have a younger brother to meet! He's about seven years younger than you, named Ken. He's a ball of energy, and he's always asking if he can get another sibling … I think he'll be happy to meet you.]**_

He almost dropped the letter at that, feeling like someone had just stabbed him straight in the stomach. He had … been trying to kill his older brother …? Even Nemesis seemed stunned, if the noises of confusion rattling around Ken's head were any indication. Trembling, the brunet swallowed the lump in his throat and continued reading. The letter was almost done.

_**[You mentioned in the note that you're attending Gekkoukan High School? You don't know how happy I am to hear that … Just remembering how hard it was when you two were so little, hearing that you're going places is wonderful. It makes a mother's day to know that her child's doing well. I'm sorry that this reply's so short, but you said you wanted to meet on the fifth? That's just a few days away! I need to get everything clean here; I don't want you coming home to a dirty house! ~Mother]**_

At that, Ken let the note slip through his fingers, curling into a ball as the tears started flowing. So THAT was why; he had noticed how happy she'd been that week, even when she started cleaning. She _hated _cleaning, and yet the entire week up until her death, something had her so elated that nothing seemed to wipe the smile off of her face. As a dental assistant, she was always putting in long hours, but nothing seemed to be stopping her cheer. Ken had asked her once or twice why, but she would always just giggle and say it was a surprise.

And then everything had gone so horribly wrong …

Ken didn't register that he had been making some sort of noise until he felt a hand on top of his head. Glancing up from his ball, the boy looked up to see the elder man from before, deep eyes soft. "I do not know why you cry, but I assure you there's no shame in it." His voice kept the stern tone as before, but there was a gentleness to it. "Whatever you were reading is for your eyes alone, even if it was written in a tongue I could understand. If you ever wish to speak of it to me, I will listen; my soul has it's own fair share of sins that prevent me from judgment."

Ken just let his head hit his knees again, sobbing as the warmth from the wool coat crept into his skin. He remembered the hug he'd been given before Shinjiro had run out to fight the dragon, even knowing he'd probably die. The way he'd been looked at when he had planned to run the elder boy through … Shinjiro'd gone through that the entire time knowing they were brothers. Why had he not said anything …? _[Because he probably knew I wouldn't believe him.] _He thought bitterly, curling up more as the man's hand shifted to his shoulder.

It felt like an hour or more had passed before the tears began to stop, making him look up with a hiccup. The man – perhaps he was a priest? - still knelt beside him, a look of reservation present despite the kind gesture. Ken wagered that he wanted to ask about the sudden outburst, but was holding his tongue for various reasons. [I'm sorry … just a lot on my mind.] He didn't like how hoarse his voice had gotten. [I guess I really have no way out of this unless I trust you.]

"It is good to see that your voice still works." The man gave a nod. "It is only fair that I train you in the language before I get you away from this accursed place; there is a great darkness at the Dragon's Gate, so I cannot send you home." Shifting a bit, he gave a nod. "I am known as Father Renault, young child from the Outrealms."

Ken blinked, taking a moment to register what he had just heard as the man giving his name. He was curious as to what an 'Outrealm' was, but that wasn't important right now. "... Ken."

"'Born of fire?' That is a good name." Renault gave a nod, looking him over. "... I assume the coat is not yours; it looks much too large on you." Indeed, the maroon colored wool reached past Ken's knees, and the sleeves extended a few inches beyond his hands. "I will not have you be rid of it, but you do appear most comical." Shifting a bit under the staring, Ken took the coat off, gaining an arched eyebrow. "... You are much smaller than I had presumed."

Giving a weak smile at the constant staring, Ken felt his stomach growl; now that the terror and adrenaline had worn off, he was hungry. Renault seemed to notice this, because he shook his head. "Forgive me; I will set about to food in a moment." At this, he paused. "... Perhaps I should teach you magic; there seems to be the blessing of a saint around you. Be it an actual saint or whatever spirit is native to your realm, it would be wrong to ignore such a thing." At that, Renault nodded to a cot nearby. "Rest. I will wake you when the food is ready."

Feeling his body aching, Ken took the suggestion as an invitation to go to sleep, and trudged towards the cot, dragging the coat along with him for a blanket. Renault watched him to make sure he made it fully to the bed as he set a fire, ingredients for stew nearby. After seeing that the boy had managed to settle in for sleep beneath the coat, he let out a sigh and turned to the spare robes he had pulled out to adjust to Ken's frame.

"I'm going to have to be creative about this."

* * *

(Lonely Mountain, Bern)  
Lloyd Reed didn't know what to make of this.

The whole past twenty-four hours had been a blur; first Archeon, his mother's wyvern, had come back to the base screeching and frantic about something, saddle empty. It had taken his younger brother about an hour to calm the beast, and Archeon listened to him best out of all of the family save for his mother. A few hours later, a messenger had arrived to say that an assignment had been handled in Lycia, where she had been deployed, but the messenger was surprised to find out her mount was there without her; she had apparently noticed something suspicious and gone off to investigate. Some of their more advanced mages had gone to investigate her last known location … and returned with her body.

Sighing through his nose, the man kept on walking, trying to push the thoughts from his mind. His father had taken the news hard and retreated into his quarters, not wanting to be disturbed. Linus had gone to look after Archeon, and the rest of the Black Fang had somewhat sunk into their own mourning as well, leaving Lloyd to walk out of the base, one of the family's wolfhounds trotting alongside him. Taking a small path down the mountain a small bit, the pair of them began walking around a small plateau, watching the sun rise.

He kept a hand on the hilt of the single-edged sword he had, gold-green eyes scanning the area in the early dawn light. Lloyd didn't think he stood out too much, the long dark coat he wore shielding him from the chilly winds that tossed short blond hair around in the breeze. "Well, Snuffles … What do you make of this, buddy?" He asked the hound, who was ignoring him in favor of some sort of interesting scent in a snowbank. Shaking his head, he let out a sigh, watching his breath fog for a moment before shaking his head.

'What the hell could have happened?' He wondered, beginning to pace around a bit; grief was still there, yes, but his mind had latched onto the 'how' of it. 'Mother was never one for unnecessary risks … Whatever made her stay behind in Lycia had to be severe, especially to send back her squad without her there to lead them. They would have been in Tuscania, so that's nowhere near the Flight Zone that is the Ostian fiefdom …'

Snuffles's barking jarred him from his thoughts, turning to look at the wolfhound in sheer shock; the wolfhounds rarely barked, and the way he was pawing at the snow while glancing at his blond master only made the situation more nervous. "Snuffles?" Knocking the hilt of his sword so the blade would be easier to draw, Lloyd went to the snowbank as well, seeing where the dog was pawing. "What's got your attention?" In response, Snuffles started pawing more at a certain spot, paws eventually exposing a flash of black fabric. "! Shit!" Frowning, Lloyd started digging through the snow with the dog, cursing the snowfall that they had gotten the previous evening.

To his relief, it wasn't heavy snow that had fallen, and it only took a few moments to expose the rest of the fabric's origins. There, lying in the snowbank, was a teenage girl in the strangest of outfits, her auburn hair falling out of the remains of a restraint. Something that looked like shattered steel lay on the stones beside her, and Lloyd could see the tinge of blue in her fingers. "Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit... I need to get her to Ursula and fast." Reaching forward, he scooped the girl up, fingers reaching to her exposed wrist. "Good, she's got a pulse, but it's slow." Shifting so he had the girl in a bridal carry, he started jogging, Snuffles at his heels.

The eerie quiet of the base was unsettling at first, but Lloyd didn't pay it much attention. A few more wolfhounds trotted over when they spotted him, eyes bright. 'Oh thank mother earth.' Shaking his head, the blonde nodded. "Alright you three, I need you guys to split up and find Ursula; first one to find her and get her down to the springs gets mutton tonight. Snuffles, you already earned some finding this girl." Snuffles wagged his tail at that, sitting on his haunches as the other three dogs scattered. Content that the dogs knew what they were doing, Lloyd headed down a nearby staircase, hoping that the warmth from the natural springs would help keep her from slipping away.

To his surprise, the springs weren't deserted.

"Lloyd? Who the hell is that?" Turning his head fast enough to give himself whiplash, Lloyd relaxed; it was just Linus and Archeon, at least. The younger Reed brother had brown hair and eyes, but the shape of his face was the same as Lloyd's, and his hands were currently occupied with cleaning the neck scales of the massive grey wyvern they had grown up with.

"I could not tell you, Linus." Lloyd sighed. "Snuffles found her when I went walking and he decided to tag along, and I think Repede, Noishe and Beka are the three I sent to find Ursula. This girl's clothing is soaked to the bone and she's unconscious; I don't know how long she was in the snowbank." Linus let out a curse at that, getting up from where he sat at the wyvern's side to come look himself. Archeon extended his neck to look as well, lifting himself a bit from the spring.

"... Lloyd, what does that red band around her arm say?" Linus asked after a moment, helping Lloyd settle the girl down on a makeshift bench someone had put down there. Both brothers stared at the red band, brows furrowed. "Lemme see if I can pull it off ..." there was a quick tug, and the sound of tearing fabric made Lloyd give Linus a disapproving look. "Well I couldn't figure out another way to get it off. 'sides, the writing's still in tact." Holding the band out for both of them to look at, Linus blinked. "... Well, I'm pretty sure at least two of those words aren't Elibian."

"Something I'm not going to bother attempting to pronounce, something… I'm going to assume that's a misspelling of exsecutioni, and … Sqooad?" Lloyd read aloud after a moment, brows furrowed. "What the hell that's supposed to mean in full, I could not tell you, but I think she might be from some sort of assassin's guild."

"And yet you found her collapsed in a snowbank." Linus replied.

"I never said she was a _good _assassin." Lloyd countered. "Besides, I said _might _be from an assassin's guild; we can ask her after Ursula's healed her." As if on cue, one of the wolfhounds came back, wagging their tail. "Hmm? You found Ursula, Noishe?" Lloyd stood up at that as the dog's tail wagged harder. "Alright, alright, I'm coming." Lloyd stood up at that, sighing. "Linus, keep an eye on her; we don't want her dying."

"Gotcha." Linus nodded, stowing the slip of red fabric into his own large coat's pocket. Waiting until his older brother and the hound had darted up the stairs, Linus frowned as something occured to him, before looking at the auburn girl again. "If we don't want her dying then _why the hell is she being kept in wet clothes?!" _He shouted up the stairs, only to receive no reply. Slapping his forehead with a palm, Linus muttered a few choice curses before heading towards a separate part of the spring. "I know I brought down some clothes to wash with you, Archeon; you think one of my shirts would cover a tiny girl like her fully?"

The wyvern proceeded to give Linus's back a look that could only be described as 'this is incompetent and you should stop now'.

Not noticing, Linus managed to grab one of the shirts in question, holding it up. "... Yeah, this should work … She looks rather thin on top of it all, so it'll probably drape more." Nodding to himself when he was sure the shirt was dry, he turned around and trotted back to where the unconscious girl was lying. "It'll have to do for now; Ursula can probably get her better clothes when we get this girl's story."

Archeon proceeded to let out a noise between a growl and a sigh, slapping his scaled forehead with a paw and dragging it down his muzzle before continuing to watch the impending disaster.

If Linus noticed, he chose to ignore it, setting the shirt down before looking the girl over. "Probably should start with what I can take off easily; whoever designed the top and what could be called a skirt is obviously a madman who deserves a slug in the jaw." Nodding to himself at his plan of attack, the brunet male began taking off the wet clothing, starting with the shoes and leggings. Like he had thought, they were soaked through and the skin they concealed was clammy. As he suspected, the skirt and top were designed by a madman, and he ended up having to cut them off.

Archeon continued to watch, neck extended as far as it could be to observe and possibly intervene if he needed to. The wyvern's attention was what allowed him to spot when the girl's face twitched, Linus having gotten the damp undershirt off of her and leaving her in underwear. Shifting, the wyvern tried to get Linus's attention as he fought with the strange wrapping around her chest, his swears growing more colorful. The girl was waking up, and Archeon really didn't want to hear the screaming that would happen if she found herself in the nude with a strange man; Linus didn't seem to notice the growl, prompting another gravely sigh from the wyvern before it let out a short, direct roar that made Linus shout and jump back, dropping his knife as he spun to the wyvern.

… And had the unfortunate side effect of waking the girl up fully.

Linus had never heard a more shrill screech in his life, and the next thing he registered was a kick to the face as the girl unintentionally grabbed the shirt he had meant to cover her with as a shield as she reflexively jerked. Reeling from the pain and swearing – she had probably broken his nose – Linus stumbled back and fell on his rear. Archeon let out a small growl of agitation before shifting, sitting by the girl and letting his wings wrap around her, obscuring her from view.

"What the HELL was that noise!?"

And as if to add insult to injury, only _now _did Ursula and Lloyd decide to show up. Not registering much past the blinding pain his face was sending him, the brunet male opted to roll around on the ground swearing, faintly aware that the auburn girl was now sobbing.

Well, his morning was going _great. _

* * *

Hamuko sat down on the stone floor, sobbing and hugging herself as she tried to register what was going on. All she could recall after being separated from Minato was blue light before blacking out … only to wake up here, in a stone place with a strange man nearby, mostly naked. Her skin felt cold and clammy, and her underwear was wet too. She could hear the guy she had kicked cursing and swearing, and two new voices had joined the fray, but she couldn't understand a word of what they were saying.

The miniature dragon that was also nearby seemed to have pity her, as it has extended wings to keep her shielded for the moment. Right now she was glad for it; it was a calm in the center of the storm, because it sounded like the two new voices were tending to the person she had kicked in the face. Good, maybe she'd have a chance to calm down before they spoke to her.

"Archeon, let me talk to her." The voice that hit Hamuko's ears was female, and the miniature dragon grumbled for a moment before shifting a fraction to let someone else into the circle of scaled flesh and wing membrane. Feeling a hand land on her knee, Hamuko whimpered again, lifting her head to look. There was a young woman kneeling in front of her with short blue hair, indigo eyes worried. "You're frigid; clueless as he is, Linus had a good idea." She admitted, both hands pressing flat against Hamuko's knees as a blue light wrapped around them. "The meathead should have woken you up first though."

What the other woman was saying was lost on the auburn, but she didn't move when she realized that a healing spell was being used on her. Worried and a bit shocked – had she fallen in with a group of foreign Persona-users? - Hamuko tried to focus on the girl in front of her. While no Personae showed, the burning aura she associated with the Magician Arcana cloaked her, and the indigo eyes that had been focusing on where her hands had been flashed up to Hamuko's face.

"Please stop that, it tickles." Her voice gave away that she could somehow tell what Hamuko was doing, making the other jerk a bit as she shivered, the clamminess of her underwear chilling her chest. "... You're going to have to strip fully for this to work, you realize. Lloyd and Linus wouldn't dare peep; Archeon would bite them, wouldn't you?" Her last statement seemed to be directed at the miniature dragon, who let a nod.

Shifting and sneezing a bit, Hamuko sighed and reached down her torso, undoing the bra and immediately trying to fold her arms over her chest for some modesty. The blue-haired woman just tsked a bit and placed her hands on hamuko's now bare collarbone, the healing spell carrying a red tint to it this time. "Good, good, just relax … Nice kick to Linus's nose, by the way. I haven't seen him laid flat like that in a few years."

[W … where am I?] Hamuko finally asked, voice tight with nerves.

At that, those indigo eyes snapped up to her face again, the other woman's mouth opening in surprise as the healing spell stopped. "Son of a ..." She seemed surprised, and quickly stood up to lean over one of the wyvern's wings. "Lloyd Reed, how in the name of the gods did you find a foreigner in a SNOWBANK on the mountain?!"

"I do not know." Came a responding voice, male and a bit flummoxed at whatever he was being asked. "Why, what's she saying?"

"She's talking in a language I can't even begin to understand, so for all I know she could be thanking me or calling Linus a massive arse." The woman responded, giving Hamuko a chance to look her over. She wore a simple, gold-trimmed skirt underneath a fitted top that trailed off into a sort of psudeo-tailcoat, the long bow weighed down by golden decorations on the ends. Her boots went up to just below her knees, the heels raised a bit to allow for what Hamuko assumed was horseback riding. A sleeveless shrug covered her upper back, and long gloves that went to the middle of her upper arm covered her hands.

"Well, shit ..." The same voice from before replied. "What do you suggest we do, Ursula?"

"Right now, I'm going to get the poor thing warmed up and in clothes that fit her; bring food for us up to my chambers you two?" The girl replied, still leaning over the wyvern. "Get a lot too; this girl is so skinny I could probably pick her up and carry her a few leagues without Rosemary."

"So you're saying get her a Linus-sized portion?"

"Hey!"

"Yes, actually, that'd be perfect." The girl shot back, shaking her head. "Go do so now please? I don't think she's gonna want to leave Archeon's little impromptu curtain here if you two are standing there."

"Fine, Fine … C'mon, meathead." The sound of footsteps reached Hamuko's ears at that, and a quick scan for auras showed that the other two present were of the Temperance Arcana and the Chariot, and both of them were leaving. Sighing and uncurling a bit more, the auburn girl let out a sneeze as she finally took off her last piece of wet clothing.

"Men, I swear ..." Huffing, the blue-haired woman turned back to Hamuko, hands on her hips as she gave her a worried look over. "Well, now that I look at you, I'm seeing some musculature. You're still awful thin." Gripping the spare shirt that laid nearby, she offered Hamuko a hand up. "You well enough to stand?"

Giving her a nervous look, Hamuko kept one hand around her chest as she let the Magician pull her upright. The look she was getting made her uncomfortable. Was it her weight? The other woman seemed to have a bit more mass to her. [Ah … I just … w-well, we have smaller portions back home …]

"Gods, looking at you like this makes me feel bad." The other sighed, shaking her head. "I hope that you'll be able to stomach all that food, but you should really get some weight on you." At that, she shook her head and pulled the shirt on over Hamuko's head.

To the auburn's embarrassment, the sleeves went far past her hands, and the bottom hem went down to her knees. The neck started to slip off one shoulder, and the sheer silliness of the scenario prompted a weary giggle out of Hamuko. [It's a circus tent...]

"Well, Linus _is _an ox." The blue-haired Magician seemed equally amused. The miniature dragon let out a snort and settled back into the spring. "You going to stay here for a bit, Archeon?" Hamuko turned to the miniature dragon as it nodded, shifting so the steaming hot water covered more of its haunches. "Alright, I'm taking our guest here up to my quarters; they're roomy enough for another person no problem." The wyvern gave a nod, and the blue haired woman seemed to realize something. "Ah, damn! I've been around the meathead for so long I forgot my manners ..." At that, she turned back to Hamuko and slid into a partial curtsey. "I'm Ursula, the Blue Crow of the Black Fang."

Blinking as she registered what she thought was the Magician's name, Hamuko gave a nod back. She almost opened her mouth, ready to give her name, when she paused. Ursula was a western name, and she'd been hearing 'Lloyd' and 'Linus' a lot; her name would stand out so much here it would raise a lot of suspicion, and she didn't know how these people would react to her. But how could … A light bulb went off, and she gave a weak smile before giving a bow. "Eurydice."

"Eurydice?" Ursula arched an eyebrow. "That's an old-fashioned name. But at the same time, it suits you." Nodding, she offered Hamuko a gloved hand. "Come on, let's get you settled for the time being. Perhaps when things calm down we can figure out what to do with you." Hamuko stared at the hand for a moment before taking it and letting Ursula lead her back upstairs.

The dice had been rolled; now all she could do was see if she had gotten lucky.

* * *

_**Tori's Notes:** You tried Linus, you tried. Have a gold star. _

_Seriously though, I'm actually surprised I got this next chapter out so fast. I had insomnia a few days in a row and decided to just sit down and see how much of this nonsense I could plow through. __I was not expecting to wind up with a nearly 11,000 word chapter from one night's worth of work. _

_So we're down to the last two members of SEES who got punted through the gate next chapter; Shinjiro and Makoto (With Pharos the tagalong). And then after that? We'll be hopping back to Iwatodai for all sorts of crazy stuff. For now though, notes for this chapter~_

_-Eliwood speaking in Magvelian is a bit of a headcanon. Due to the fact that his mother Eleanor barely looks older than him, a headcanon/theory of mine is that she's actually from Caer Peylin, not from somewhere on Elibe. So Eliwood learned how to speak the language alongside the common tongue on Elibe, and Elbert and Hector learned enough to understand when Eliwood and Eleanor started having conversations in it. _

_-Black pegasi! Yes I know Dark Knights and flying healers were only in the later console games, but I'm screwing with continuity anyway. _

_-Building off of the Pegasi bit; Fuuka's name is spelled with the kanji for wind (fuu) and flower (ka). All of the Pegasus Sisters have a name that means flower (Farina's is flour, giggle giggle oh a pun), so she fits right in.  
_

_-To couple with that; Ken's comment about Shinjiro's name is something I've noticed myself; most Japanese names are spelled with one to two kanji, and the only exceptions to that I've seen are girls names apart from Shinjiro's. It's nothing story breaking, but I figured it was interesting. _

_-And to wrap up the comments, I write Ursula as a lot less aloof when she's not on duty, so she might feel a bit out of character right now. I just feel like there can be more to a character than can be seen in game, so I often have her as more relaxed when around Lloyd and Linus and them alone. Then again that could just be my love of the Black Fang shining through, but that's for another day. _

_Now before I flop off to do other things, one comment. Anyone who can see the Latin chant Renault was using, and tell me what I'm referencing with it will get cookies. (Google translate actually doesn't butcher Latin too horribly; yay for using a dead language!) Until then, cheerio~ _


	4. Road of Trials III

(The Western Isles)  
The heat of the midday sun hitting his face woke Shinjiro up, prompting a heavy groan as he felt his back aching. Shifting a bit, he sat up and rubbed his head, looking around. He had landed on a mountainside somehow, the rocks a deep gray and brown all around him as he pushed himself upright. He seemed to be on a smaller one, at least, as a glance up to his left made him wince; there was an ice capped mountain nearby, and the sunlight was hitting it at just the right angle to make it blinding.

_[Okay, where the hell am I?] _Was his first thought, rubbing his shoulders as he tried to get himself oriented. He could see a line of fuzzy, deep blue at the horizon line, and a better look showed it to be a large body of water, if not an ocean that stretched out for too many nautical miles for him to even begin to guess. _[If I landed on an alternate take of Japan I am going to punch a bitch.]_

Another look around, this time closer to his area, and he sighed in relief to see that there was some vegetation on the mountains. He didn't seem to be _too _high up, as he had little problem breathing, but he didn't think that was a fair guess to make; the group had gotten used to climbing up stupidly high in Tartarus, and they were at the halfway point at _best_. He was willing to bet that SEES had started adjusting to thinner atmosphere. _[True, we don't know how high up that damn tower is, but when I can look out a window and get a damn good view of Iwatodai on a clear evening, that's too fuckin tall.] _Sighing, the brunet male started walking about, trying to see if he could find a way down off of the mountain without breaking his neck.

In the back of his mind, Castor stirred briefly before going dormant again, exhaustion radiating from the Persona as Shinjiro finally located a worn down animal path that lead down at a manageable angle. The Persona seemed exhausted, so summoning him was out of the question for a good while. He had realized that the spear didn't drain him so much as it drained the summon, leaving it inaccessible for at least a week.

He'd figured out the spear trick with Castor by pure accident, back in middle school when he and Akihiko had stumbled into trouble in the Dark Hour. They had just joined SEES and were still trying to get into the swing of things, and Akihiko had been knocked unconscious when Shinjiro had tried to fight back, only to realize he had somehow managed to pull the spear out of Castor's torso, and it was a viable weapon for him to use. However, he had next to no finesse with a spear, and the weapon required insane amounts of focus to use without it exploding.

Shinjiro wondered if the rather stupid looking needle Akihiko's Persona had for a right arm could be used for something similar, but the condition of massive recovery time had kept the silver-haired teen from even attempting it.

The path was proving to be relatively easygoing, several tracks showing that plenty of animals used the route to get to and from whatever was in this isolated part of the world. More than once Shinjiro caught sight of goats and such on different rock crags, watching him as they chewed on the vegetation that grew around the otherwise cold stone.

He lost track of how long he was heading down the mountains when he hit a plateau, making him sigh and sit down for a few moments. His stomach started growling, making Shinjiro curse as he looked around, taking his boots off. There didn't seem to be anything close to a village here, but now that he was at a lower altitude, he could see the faintest traces of smoke coming down from the base of a nearby mountain. Perhaps there was a village?

_[The real question is will I make it there before dark?] _Shinjiro thought to himself with a sigh, wincing as he looked at his feet. The western style boots he wore normally weren't exactly made for hauling ass over the mountains, and he could feel blisters forming. [Fuuuuuuuuuuck.] Cursing more, the brunet stood up and walked further into the plateau, spotting vegetation around a pool of water.

The pond was crystal clear, and a glance towards one side gave him an idea as to what had formed it; it was runoff from an ice cap, so when the spring season hit, this place was probably a gigantic lake, one that would disorient people with the trees growing out of the bottom of it. Glancing into the water, he could see straight to the bottom, disappointment hitting him as he realized no fish swam under the water. [At least fresh water is useful.] He told himself, biting his lip and stripping to slide into the water for a quick break; he reeked of sweat from the whole ordeal the night before, and the icy water made him yelp.

_[Note to self, don't stay in here too long.] _Settling after briefly ducking under, Shinjiro resurfaced, grateful for the bright sun overhead. There wasn't a breeze either, and with no cloud cover, he figured drying out would be a fast ordeal as he sat in the water for a bit to collect his thoughts. _[The dude in blue said that we needed to find everyone else in SEES and get back home, but he never said we'd wind up on the same world.] _Frowning at that, he sighed; he had lost track of Ken and Koromaru in the fall between dimensions to boot, so he had no clue if his little brother was here. _[Dammit, if I can't find him again, I'll never forgive myself …]_

Not that he was able to forgive himself for a lot of things, least of all his mother's death by his hands; accident or not, he had lost control … Anger and self-loathing hit him in the face again, and he tried to shove it back down before he did something stupid. He'd nearly listened to the voices and guilt when it had first happened two years ago, and it would have been a simple step onto the tracks … Then a tall man in a well-tailored suit had caught him, pulling him out of the station and to a relatively quaint apartment, somehow keeping the emotionally unstable teenager from injuring him as he tried to escape.

How a professional swordsman and instructor had been there to stop him, Shinjiro would never know, but it had saved his life. The man had sat there, letting the teen collapse in a way he hadn't been able to since the orphanage, not even in private, in silence. It had been greatly needed, as his mind was ready to collapse from the sheer amount of pain he had bottled up. He remembered those strange, inexplicably pink eyes watching him, an odd sort of concern in them. Why, Shinjiro still didn't know; he was just a kid the guy had managed to stop from committing suicide. Most people who intervened in such things often made sure that the person they rescued got professional help, not step in themselves.

And then, to his surprise, the man had offered him some training, not so much to help him fight better, but to give his brain something else to focus on. Shinjiro had accepted, and the following month proved to be one of the most interesting ones ever. He preferred using his axe, but the thought behind the advice his impromptu instructor had given him was to focus on the weapon and nothing else when it was in his hand. It had worked, and while the strange man had needed to leave in mid-November, he had managed to get Shinjiro's head on straight, and the brunet was thankful for that.

The feeling of something nudging him from behind made Shinjiro tear away from the thought, sitting up as he tried to see what was behind him; standing on the bank of the pond was a herd of horses, all of them clearly confused by the strange pink-thing in what was probably their watering hole. Blinking and feeling embarassed with himself despite the lack of people, he coughed into a hand and stood up. [Sorry, sorry … I just reeked and needed to get myself clean.]

The horses didn't make any movements towards him, not even the one that had nudged him in the first place. Getting dressed as he looked at the animals, Shinjiro wondered where they had come from, and if they would mind him traveling along for a little bit. If they belonged to a farmer at the foot of the mountains, that would be a good place to try and figure out where he was; if they were wild, well, he'd be with a group of animals that could run and were smart enough to be on the lookout for danger.

Pausing for a moment, the brunet blinked before pulling out the butterfly knife he kept tucked into one of his boots, sticking it in his pocket instead. Who knew what all was up here, and besides, he could use the thing to help get himself some meat. The herd didn't pay him much heed, save for a lone, dark brown horse with an oddly pale mane and tail, who seemed fascinated by him. Puzzled as he reluctantly pulled his boots on, Shinjiro walked over to it, amused when the mountain horse butted his chest with its head. [Well, hi there, you.] He commented, scratching it behind the ears. [What's got you so fascinated? I'm just a stupid ass human who got himself lost.]

The horse's response was to snort, shaking its head. A quick glance lower showed that it was most likely a female, and Shinjiro chuckled more as he looked around. Might as well stay with the large animals; even if he got nowhere with them, there was safety in numbers. Thankfully, the group seemed every bit as eager to move as he did, the lead mare getting the rest of the herd in order. Not knowing how fast the animals would get, Shinjiro looked at the mare. [Just buck me off if I'm going too far, okay?] He said, patting her on the neck as he slowly pulled himself onto the horse's back. A whinny was his response, but there was no sign that she minded him on his back. _[… Why do animals seem drawn to me even when I don't have treats in my pockets?] _Shinjiro shook his head, gripping onto the mare's mane as the herd trotted off down the mountain, taking a wider path that he hadn't seen in the back of the plateau. _[And I am probably going to regret this tomorrow; no padding ...]_

* * *

_[Yeah, ow, fuck. Legs are sore, and I doubt I'll be sitting down for a while.] _Groaning as he woke up the next morning, Shinjiro shook his head. Even if it had been stupid to ride a wild horse bareback, deciding to stick with the herd had gotten him down the mountain far faster than he had thought possible. The place the animals had laid down for the night was the start of a massive forest, and while he hadn't been able to set up a campfire, the trees did have a lot of fruit for him to eat. However, it was now dawn, and Shinjiro's stomach was mad at him for the lack of protein and fiber the day before. Sighing, he got up from where he had been laying against the mare – who had all but attached herself to him, for whatever reason – and stood, wincing as the kinks from sleeping on the ground caught up with him.

It was early enough that Shinjiro could see a few stars in the breaks in the canopy, and he could spot rabbits and such scurrying about the floor. [Dammit, I wish I had something other than a knife to get to them with.]He muttered, pulling out the knife and flipping it open as he stepped around the sleeping horses, unaware that his former bed had woken up when he moved. [Least I have a lighter and such to make a fire to cook it with. Aki'd slug me if he knew I had this sort of shit on me.]

The next second, the dark horse was next to him, hazel eyes locking onto the brunet as he jerked in surprise. [… How the hell did you follow me like that?] He asked, earning a proud whicker as her ears flicked back and forth super fast. [… And why do I have the sinking feeling you're understanding what I'm saying?] This time the mare just gave him a proud look, prompting a heavy sigh out of him. The first acquaintance he made in this weird world, and it was a _horse _who seemed to be every bit as intelligent as _Koromaru. _[Y'know, if you keep following me, I'm gonna name you and you're gonna be stuck with me.]

At that, the mare seemed oddly proud, and Shinjiro felt a sinking feeling in his stomach; had he run into someone who'd pissed off a witch or some shit, and was now stuck in the body of a horse? Either way, knowing that there was something here who appeared to understand when she was being spoken to was nice. [… Alright fine, you're "Selene" from here on out.] He said after a moment, focusing on the pale mane and tail as he spoke; the newly dubbed Selene seemed pleased, butting his chest playfully.

His musings were cut off as the smell of smoke hit him, making him lift his head. The horse wasn't bolting or panicking, so he doubted it was a forest fire, reinforced when he saw that the wildlife didn't seem to give a damn. _[That must mean …] _Biting his lip, Shinjiro crept towards the direction of the smoke, the mare right behind him, her ears perked in case of anything that might try to attack them.

In a deeper part of the forest, near the base of another mountain, Shinjiro and his new equine companion found the source of the smoke. Wrinkling his nose as the stench of something rancid hit his nose, Shinjiro focused on the cavern he was seeing in front of him, Selene poking her head over his shoulder to stare as well, ears slowly flattening against her skull. Watching the smoke curl out of the cavern for a few moments, Shinjiro nodded to the horse. [… Stay here; I'm going to see who the stinky assholes in here are.] Selene nickered, head bobbing as Shinjiro did his best to keep to the cover of the trees, the butterfly knife palmed and ready in case he needed to use it.

Just inside the mouth of the cave, he found his answer; there was at least ten men sitting in there, all of them shirtless and covered in grime, laughing boisterously about something as they ate sticks of mutton and drank what Shinjiro was willing to bet was alcohol. Frowning – he saw the axes they had close at hand – Shinjiro continued to slip closer, listening intently.

"That was a good raid, a good one indeed!" The first man laughed, slapping his thigh with a fat hand. Shinjiro scowled a bit; they seemed to be speaking some old-fashioned type of Italian intermixed with Latin, so while he could understand _most _of what was being said, he was willing to bet these weren't the sharpest blades in the armory. Mentally thanking his boredom for prompting him to learn Spanish in middle school, the brunet slipped behind the bushes, laying on his stomach as he tried to hear what they were saying.

"Aye, ye fat lub!" The second man replied, ripping a piece off of the leg of mutton he was chowing down on. "No thanks to you either! Ya let ol' Brian get a plank of wood to the head, and now he's got a lump the size of Bern Keep on it!" The first bandit scowled and hit his companion, who responded in kind. "Don't start something, ya dolt!"

"Why not? 'Snot like any of them high mannered noble snobs come this far into the mountains, let alone th' woods. Port Fiberia is probably the farthest those rich bastards will go without prompting!" The first one countered, downing more of his drink as he spoke. "Who in th' hell could take down all of us in this part of the woods?"

Shinjiro found himself scowling, realizing he had tripped into a group of bandits. If it had just been lumbermen or something, he was certain he and Selene could have bartered for help getting to the nearest village. Bandits, though? Shinjiro scowled as the second one continued to scold the first, prompting one of them to throw the wooden keg they had been drinking from.

The brunet was next aware of blinding pain in his head as the empty keg hit him. [Fuck!] Continuing to mutter curses under his breath as he moved to rub his head, Shinjiro froze when he realized that the two bandits had stopped arguing, and a glance through the undergrowth showed that they were looking straight at his hiding spot.

"Wort? Ya hear that bush just say somethin?" The first bandit asked, picking up his axe. The second bandit followed suit, taking a few steps towards Shinjiro, who was mentally contemplating bolting – a stupid idea; these bastards were bound to know the terrain better than him – or fighting them and scaring them off. If he could just get one of them to drop an axe …

"ya, I did." 'Wort' replied as he stepped closer, standing right in front of the bush. "Didn't know what it said, don't wanna know what it said, but the ranger it's hiding picked th' wrong day to come here." Shinjiro was aware of the meaty hand reaching towards his general area.

_[Well, looks like option two is go. Let's get this fucker to drop his weapon.] _He sighed mentally, shifting a bit. When the bandit was right overhead, he sprang up, jabbing him in the arm with the butterfly knife and ramming his shoulder into the bandit's chest. Wort let out a pained screech and dropped the axe, stumbling back as he flailed about to get the knife out of his elbow. The first bandit let out a roar and charged, barreling towards Shinjiro as he grabbed the dropped axe.

Ducking, the brunet charged forward and down low, dodging the battle axe swing and sending the other man tumbling head over heels. He registered a loud neigh – had Selene decided to get involved now? - at the edge of his hearing as he brought the axe he now held in his hands up to guard a swing from a third bandit. Great; Tweedledee and Tweedledum's friends weren't shitfaced enough to ignore the commotion.

"Lads, we've got a ranger!" He heard someone shout as he continued to fight the one who was now holding his attention. After that, however, he narrowed his focus on the weapon in his hands; it was so much lighter than the war hammer he preferred to use in Tartarus it was almost ridiculous. However, at the same time, it meant more power to his swings, and he managed to disengage from the deadlock with a headbutt. Ducking down, he remembered the swordsman's words, and aimed for the hamstring; to his relief, he hit it, and the other man dropped.

It was then, lifting his head up to see who was coming for him next, that he saw them.

A half dozen girls, all of them battered and worse for wear, chained up and being held hostage at the back of the cave like stock animals. He didn't need to guess what they were there for.

Shinjiro felt raw fire and rage shoot through him at that, vision going red as he stood up. His memory on the events immediately following the sight blanked, save for the noise he let out; he almost didn't believe it was him at first until Castor started reacting to his sheer rage as well, compounding the rage as the Persona woke up briefly, and the bandits seem to freeze in fear as instinct took control, the hands holding his axe moving on his own as one of the skills he learned let fly.

A single movement that created eight slashes from nothing, and the next thing the brunet was aware of was the scarlet mist as the bandits proceeded to drop, dead.

Once he was aware that all of the attackers were dead, Shinjiro felt the raw fire recede from his mind, dragging the rage out with him, and draining a fair chunk of his low energy in the process. As he became more aware of his surroundings, he spotted that the bandit he had stolen the axe from had fled, the stench in the air suggesting that the phrase 'shitting bricks' wasn't too unrealistic after all. The first bandit laid prone on the ground, Selene standing over him; he was willing to bet that she had trampled the man.

When the stench of blood and other destroyed organs hit him, however, Shinjiro felt nausea overtake him. Swaying, he went onto his knees, using the axe to keep himself upright as he retched. Already he could hear the judge of the dead writing down his list of sins, and he was pretty damn certain that murdering several men in a single shot was pretty damn high up there on the list. He was certain that the man who had taught him that move wouldn't be pleased with him either, seeing as how Shinjiro had been taught that move solely to help him focus on things _other _than the accidental death of his mother.

His thoughts were halted when he spotted a wooden keg being offered to him, being held by hands shackled together. Blinking and looking up, Shinjiro was shocked to see that it was one of the girls he had seen in the back of the cave. She looked about six at the _oldest, _and the only thing he could make out through the grime on her was a pair of gray eyes. Judging by the wire collar around her neck, she must have been a real thorn in the now dead men's sides.

Taking the mug with a shaking hand, Shinjiro downed the contents in an effort to clear his throat; like he had thought, it was alcohol, but he was past the point of caring. Coughing and letting the mug drop as he wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his turtleneck, he looked around; his butterfly knife had been dropped, and he reached for it; the least he could do was get this girl and the rest of her friends out of this place. Turning to the little girl who had given him the alcohol, he sighed and looked at the wire around her neck.

"... Ho … hold still." He prayed that the girl understood him as he gripped her shoulder. "I just want to get the wire off your neck." After a hesitant moment, the girl gave a nod, even though her eyes remained focused on the knife the entire time. Grateful that he was on the ornery side about keeping his knives sharp, Shinjiro held his breath all the same as he put pressure on the wire while trying not to nick the child's neck as well. It worked, and the girl reached up to pull the metal away the second Shinjiro had pulled the knife away. Much to his disgust, it seemed the wire had cut into her; she'd probably have a scar there for years.

Selene chose that moment to walk up, snorting as she lipped the top of Shinjiro's head. Confused, Shinjiro glanced at the mare, who just continued to stare at the cave. Following her glance, Shinjiro sighed with relief; the other girls were creeping closer, although he was fairly certain they were still scared of him. Eyes scanning the now scarlet floor of the forest, he spotted a key ring nearby and grabbed it, looking at the shackles on the little girl's wrists before proceeding to open them and let them drop. Standing up, he was surprised by what happened next.

The little girl proceeded to wrap her arms around his leg and hug him.

And in the next moment, the other girls – including the little one wrapped around his leg, there was _nine _of them – had rushed over to him as well, all of them somewhere between ten and his own age of eighteen if he had to guess. Quite a few of them were crying, but between that and the unfamiliarity of their language, he couldn't understand what they were saying as he managed to undo the bindings on their arms, throwing them at the corpses with each set undone.

Once the last set of shackles had been discarded, Shinjiro managed to untangle himself from the refugees, if only to keep them from hurting themselves on the axe he still had nearby; the child still clung to his leg like a vice. "I … have no clue where I am." He admitted, trying to keep his Spanish slow to make himself easier to understand. "I was trying to find a town where I could get myself oriented … but I wasn't going to let those bastards keep this shit up."

The girls all looked to one another before one of the group – who looked about twelve – stepped forwards. Her hands were folded in front of her chest, and she looked up at Shinjiro with a polite expression. "You do have the strangest of accents; I would have thought you were a Sacaen plainsman from your coloring if you hadn't said anything." She said, gripping the tatters of what could be barely called a 'dress' to give him a small curtsey. "But I'm Alanna; I'm from a merchant family in Port Fiberia, and if you can keep us safe on our way there, I can guide you."

While a fair bit of Alanna's words were lost on him, Shinjiro understood the gist of it; she would guide them all to a city, provided he keep the girls safe. At least that's what he thought she was saying. "Okay." Turning to Selene, he nodded at the horse. "Lead and a blanket for her? The youngest of you can ride on her." Selene gave a nod at that, neighing in agreement.

"I don't think Ekhidna plans on letting go of you." Alanna nodded to the girl clinging to Shinjiro's leg, amused. "But again, thank you. I'll make sure Father thanks you handsomely for your chivalry, Sir …?" At that, she paused, tilting her head to stare at Shinjiro with piercing blue eyes. The brunet teen swallowed; a girl six years younger than him shouldn't scare him so much, but he felt like he was staring a lioness in the face.

_[Okay, I'm several dimensions away from home, there's a bunch of dead bandits on my head, and apparently I have a chance for passing as a native when I get rid of the accent I seem to have.] _He thought to himself, noticing a few of the girls coming out with a thick blanket and some rope for Selene as Alanna continued to stare into his soul. _[Shit, is that what it feels like for the people I glare at?] _Shaking his head at that, Shinjiro bowed from the waist. "... Gaius."

"Gaius?" Alanna's eyebrows raised. "That name is from Magvel, but your accent suggests that you're from a land beyond even there ..."

"Alanna, stop grilling the man who just saved us from the slaver's platform!" One of the ten-year-olds yelled, helping one of the other girls onto Selene's back. Alanna scowled at the younger, but backed off after giving Shinjiro another curtsey and scurrying off to help lift a second girl onto the mare. Selene then lipped the ten-year-old who still remained at her side, prompting Alanna to lift her up as Shinjiro ventured into the cavern to see if he could find anything useful.

His eyes focused on the crossbow he found half-buried in animal furs, a quiver of bolts right at hand. [_Good, something to hunt with; I have a feeling these girls are starved …] _As he knelt, he felt the little girl clinging to his leg shift her focus to his shoulders. Curious, he looked at her; Alanna had called her Ekhidna, right? What did the bandits have planned for a six-year-old...? "Yes?"

Ekhidna responded with a toothy grin, those grey eyes bright against the dirt on her face. "Thank you; you saved our lives."

A comforting warmth settled into Shinjiro's chest at that, and he offered her a one-armed hug as he grabbed the weapon and a heavy belt nearby; might as well keep the axe with him. Once he was certain that he was set for provisions – he raided what appeared to be some medical supplies – the brunet walked out of the cavern, the little girl still clinging to his belt.

* * *

Thankfully, the port city Alanna spoke of was close, and they reached it before the sun set. Shinjiro was aware of sentries shouting something, Alanna running to the front of the group, and after that, all he could register were the girls screeching in relief and racing to the gates as several adults charged forward to meet them there. Grateful that he had a grip on Selene's makeshift lead, Shinjiro guided the horse with the last three girls to the gate in time to see Alanna leap into the arms of a well-fed man in decent clothes.

When he arrived with Selene, the youngest girls all started sobbing as their parents raced to them, crying out names as they pulled the children to them. Shinjiro was impressed by the horse's unfailing calm despite the noise – horses normally bolted when surrounded by this much noise – but didn't have time to dwell on it for too long as the large man Alanna had raced to decided to promptly crush him in a hug.

The rest of the events immediately after that were a blur for the most part, and the next thing Shinjiro could recall was getting dressed into a set of clothes he had been given, having just gotten out of a bath. From the sound of it, those girls had been captured a couple of nights ago, and it wasn't the first time that group of slavers had decided to come into town in the dead of night. Him bringing the girls back, however, _was _a first, and despite his insistence on him not wanting it to be a big deal, the villagers had decided he was going to get quite a reward.

_[All I want to do is find my friends and find a way back to Iwatodai … I had no plans on stumbling into accidental heroics by murdering a group of slavers.] _Shinjiro thought as he pulled on the last of the outfit he had been given. It was a pair of dark breeches and a steel grey shirt, worn beneath a coat of thick leather that had been dyed a nice wine red, black bear fur trimming the lining and the edge of the sleeves. Stopping to look himself over, the brunet shivered at how uncannily natural it all looked before getting the belt he had swiped from the bandits on over it, keeping it mostly shut.

"Th' big guy says food's ready." He jumped at that, turning to see Ekhidna standing in the doorway. At least, he assumed it was Ekhidna; she had gotten cleaned at some point too, revealing that her muddy hair was actually a blueish-white, and there was bandages around her neck and wrist to hide the scars she had from the shackles. "They took care of the pony too; I heard 'em saying the tanner's making her a nice saddle and reins."

"They really don't have to ..." Groaning at that, Shinjiro looked himself over one last time before walking to the door, kneeling to be on Ekhidna's eye level. "And speaking of things … where's your folks?"

"Don't have any." Was the blunt reply, Ekhidna shrugging her skinny shoulders. "I told that to the people downstairs, an' Alanna's mom picked me up and hugged me before puttin me in this." At that, she gestured at what she had on; it was a simple teal tunic over pale green leggings, but still well-made. "She wouldn't put me down for a while either; took the big guy who reminds me of a fire dragon to make her let go so I could come get you for dinner."

Shinjiro chuckled; he agreed with Ekhidna on that front. Alanna's father was large enough to lift him off of the ground, at the least, and that hair was a pretty vibrant red. "You think you'll stay here, then? It sounds like they're willing to keep you." Ekhidna shrugged again, and Shinjiro gave her a worried look. She was an orphan, so who knows where she had come from or how long the bandits had been keeping her hostage; hell, he doubted that her home was still standing. "At the least, they'll give you a roof over your head and food to eat each day."

"Yeah, but at the same time, I kinda wanted to stick with you." Ekhidna pouted at that, earning a flat look.

[… What.] Shinjiro switched to Japanese on instinct, unable to formulate any other kind of response.

The girl laughed, grey eyes bright. "Yeah, I know I'd be safe here, but at the same time, I think I'd get real bored real fast. I'm so little, I doubt anyone will teach me how to throw a punch, despite the big guy shouting about fury all the time." At that, she nodded. "He did say he'd be rounding up kids and adults who wanted to learn how to fight; they're planning on starting up a militia to try and keep other bandit attacks down."

"... I see." Nodding, Shinjiro sighed. He had a feeling that Ekhidna was going to be every bit as stubborn as he was, he could just _tell. _That might have been from him guessing that she had to be stubborn just to last for who knows how long under the slavers' thumbs, but Shinjiro had to admit, she seemed like she could help him iron out what parts of the language he was missing, and having someone to talk to other than Selene would be nice. "... Alright, if you're gonna be stubborn about it, I guess you can stick around."

"... Wow." Ekhinda's voice was amused. "Here I thought I'd have to stick to the pony to get you to let me tag along." Shinjiro let out a shrug, shaking his head.

"Nah; I'd probably get lost, and I don't speak as I want." He explained. "Besides, I know a stubborn person when I see one; feels like I'm looking into a mirror when you're talking."

"So I get to talk for ya?" The little girl gave him a wolfish grin. "Only if ya teach me that weird language you seem to slip into when you're frustrated." Shinjiro couldn't help but chuckle at that, amused as he stood up a bit, ruffling Ekhidna's hair as he did so.

"Alright, fair enough." He nodded. "Let's go get food." Ekhidna grinned at that, gripping his hand and pulling him out the door and down the stairs. _[Well .. if I'm stuck in a strange world to rescue people … might as well try to help out as much as I can; this place feels like a hellhole.] _Looking up as he kept thinking, Shinjiro gave Ekhidna a gentle look as he remembered the way she had hugged him from the beginning. _[Well, maybe not entirely … There's still good here. Might as well focus on that.]_

* * *

_(Sacae...)  
_The priest knelt by the ditch, puzzled as to what he had stumbled across. He had decided to go for a quick walk before the morning meditation at the temple, and for reasons he didn't understand, chose to take a different route than normal. He hadn't been walking long when he heard moaning from the ditch, prompting him to investigate.

Lying there, unconscious, was a young man with deep blue hair, knocked unconscious for some reason. His clothing was strange, with the only thing the priest recognized being an empty scabbard that hung from the youth's belt. However, the priest couldn't help but shake the feeling that something … wrong was going on with the youth in front of him. Looking over him again, he sensed a great darkness coming from the strange container on the opposite side of the child's belt … It seemed to be the main source of the wrong-ness, and the priest reached down, finding the claps that undid the holster from the belt.

Almost at once, he could feel darkness trying to creep into his mind, whispering doubts and ill thoughts to him. Dropping the strange thing as if it were a bag full of hot coals, the priest brought the staff he held in his hands down to the holster, channeling light magic through it. Thankfully, whatever was being contained within the strange holder was destroyed with that shot, and the dark aura evaporated as a strange, glowing gem cracked in half and dulled for a moment before turning into dust.

'Who on earth …?' The priest wondered, noting with interest that the youth seemed to stir from the destruction of the strange device, as if something that had been troubling him had been taken care of. "At ease, child ..." Kneeling, he reached down, pulling the youth upright; as he did so, he could feel one of the youth's hands grip his robes feebly.

[Hamuko …] The exhaustion that filled the younger male was palatable in his voice, even if his language made no sense. Pity and worry crept into the priest, and he wrapped one arm around the youth's waist as he hauled him to his feet. The temple wasn't far, and the boy felt incredibly light; it wouldn't be too hard to carry him there.

* * *

Minato found himself fully regaining consciousness a few days later, shifting a bit as he registered the odd surface that he was laying upon with great confusion. A … cot? Where had a cot come from …? Rolling onto his back, he pushed himself up onto his elbows with a groan, shocked to realize he wasn't in as much pain as he probably should be from slamming into whatever had knocked him out cold like that. Shaking his head again, the blue-haired teen brushed his bangs to one side to try and get a good look at his surroundings.

He was in a stone building of some sorts, the 'blankets' that he had been covered with looking like animal pelts. There was a good sized brazier off to one side of the room, providing warmth and heat, but for the most part it was almost spartan in the amount of decorations. Even the door was plain, the handle just a simple hook.

At that point, Minato felt his face flush; he'd been stripped and washed at some point, and now he was not wearing much more than a set of underwear. Looking around, the teen was relieved to see that some form of clothing had been left out for him, and he gratefully pulled it over to dress himself. It turned out to be dark breeches, a simple white undershirt with long sleeves, and a steel gray over coat. Pulling it on, Minato took note of the blue and silver trimming at the hemming and end of the belled sleeves, spotting a black sash he was probably meant to hold it shut with.

_[Well, wherever I am, it doesn't seem like I've landed in hostile territory.] _Minato thought to himself as he looked around again. _[Yet.] _Stretching again, the teen looked at the door and squared his shoulders, deciding that he most likely wouldn't get any answers waiting in the room. Reaching out, Minato gripped the handle and tugged, wincing a bit from the light hitting his eyes.

The small room that he had been put in was one in a small hallway, a larger pair of double doors off to one side. Looking up and down, Minato was curious to see that apart from the double doors on the far wall, the rest of the hallway only had doors on the side that he had exited from. Large windows at either end of the hall let in the midday sun, and an air of peace filled the place. _[This place … Almost feels like the Naganaki Shrine back home.]_

[It seems that no matter what world you go to, the feel of temples remains the same.] Minato leaped a foot in the air at the sound of Pharos's voice by his elbow. Landing and whirling, the teen was surprised to see that the ghostly boy hadn't changed at all, as he was now giving Minato that same, soft smile he usually wore. {I'm sorry, I thought you knew I was still here.} The black-haired child apologized, chuckling. {That outfit actually suits you … You look like some sort of rogue samurai.}

[W-well, thanks.] Minato replied quietly, scratching the back of his neck. [… Did you know about the dragons, though? Did you know that they were coming?]

Pharos frowned, electric blue eyes closing halfway. {No … But, the Mother Night …} He shook his head. {That term is so familiar … I think she might have something to do with the Fall. The air here is almost arid in terms of magical aura, but at the same time, I might be able to focus better without the Dark Hour.}

[Yea … wait.] Minato paused, doing a double take. [Pharos, this is the first time I've SPOKEN to you out of the Dark Hour!] At that, even the black-haired boy paused, his eyes widening at the realization.

{You … you're right.} He whispered, looking around. {I never realized … But the light of the sun is so nice, even in this spiritual form. I wonder how that came to be …?} Minato shrugged, looking around.

_[Either way, I can't talk to him too much … if someone else is here, they'd think I'm crazy.] _The blue-haired boy thought, trying to listen and see if he could find anyone else.

{I heard that!} Pharos's comment seemed less offended and more gratefully surprised, a sentiment Minato was somewhere on the fence in relation to it. On one hand, it made talking to Pharos easier, but the cost of probably never having a private thought ever again wasn't a charming prospect. His retort, however, was cut off by the creaking of the double doors on the opposite wall, making both Minato and Pharos turn as a man in priest robes looked around, spotting the blue-haired teen and smiling in relief as he walked forward.

"Ah, good, young one. You've awoken." The priest gave a bow, the language she spoke in making Minato blink in confusion. "I was beginning to worry that the dark object I had to remove from your person had stolen your soul, and that there was no hope for you to return to the mortal realm."

_[… Pharos?] _

{No dice, Minato, I'm sorry.} Pharos apologized, stepping closer. At once, the priest turned to where the small child was, watching him intently. {… I think he knows I'm here though.} After a moment though, the priest looked away from Pharos, staring at Minato instead.

"A divine spirit follows you?" He asked. "What sort of fate was laid out for you, stranger?"

Not knowing what was being said, Minato instead decided to default to manners; maybe if he was polite, he'd be able to stay in one spot long enough to figure out what to do with himself. [I beg your pardon, Father, (that _was _what men of the cloth were called, right? Minato wasn't particularly devout to any god … ) but I am in a bit of a pinch. I was with a group of friends, but we got separated, and I haven't the faintest clue where to look for them …]

{Minato, he doesn't have the faintest clue what you're saying.} Pharos commented, making Minato look up at the priest. Sure enough, the other man was standing there, looking at him in confusion.

_[Well … shit..] _Shaking his head, Minato gave a nervous laugh, reaching up with a hand to scratch the back of his neck. _[At least they know I'm not from around these parts then. Language barriers tend to do a good job at that.] _Shifting nervously as he watched the priest, Mianto was relieved to see the man give a soft nod and sigh.

"A foreign young man with a divine spirit at his side? What on earth happened for you to wind up in a roadside ditch, I wonder ..." He muttered, shaking his head. "The sacred sword remains unchanged at your appearance, but I have a feeling that the spirits from beyond this plane are trying to inform me that something isn't right." Sighing, he shook his head at the same time. "Be that as it may, you are a wayfarer, and this shrine is not one that turns away those who need shelter. I'm certain that the others will be willing to help instruct you in learning our tongue, both common and Sacaen."

[_… I still have no clue what the hell he said, but he doesn't sound hostile.] _Minato thought to himself, before going scarlet as his stomach growled. Pharos stood there and giggled, while the priest gave him an apologetic look.

"Ah, do forgive my rudeness. I didn't take time to stop and think about you needing food after you awoke." He gave a bow of apology, gripping the small staff that he held in one hand. "But it is time for the midday meal, so if you would just follow me, I can lead you to food."

{I hope they have enough food for you.} Pharos teased as the group left through the double doors, and it took all of Minato's willpower to ignore the young ghost. The fact that the main room of the temple was very distracting. It was made of limestone, several high windows letting in the sunlight to illuminate the interior. Apart from the shift from regular grey stones to limestone, Minato couldn't see any real change in the level of decoration apart from a shrine that seemed tucked into part of a nearby wall.

It was .. interesting. The shrine itself was painted with dark blues and blacks, violet accents on the doors. Small statuettes that ressembled barn owls were seated on the corners of the shrine's alcove as well, each one holding a disc that Minato wagered represented the phases of the moon. He couldn't quite tell from the distance as the monk led him through the temple, but he thought he could catch a glimmer of silver through the shrine's doors …

"You are in the Temple of Mani, the spirit of the night and the moon." The priest explained, even though Minato couldn't understand what he was saying. Perhaps the silence from the blue-haired boy was unnerving him? "We are a sister temple to the Temple of Sol, the sun spirit, which lies to the West. Both temples have enshrined sacred swords, blessed by spirits and awaiting their new master. Some say they were wielded by a legendary saint in a war against a goddess of chaos, but nobody knows for sure."

{Why is he talking to people that don't understand a word he's saying?} Pharos asked after a moment.

_[I could not tell you.] _Minato replied, despite his eyes constantly trying to drift back to the blue and black shrine. Something about it was calling out to him, but he had a feeling touching whatever was inside of it was a big no-no.

His train of thought was distracted by the smell of food, making him pause. The priest had lead him into a small mess hall, one where several other men and women of Minato's age were gathered, eating what he wagered was a simple stew as they talked amongst themselves. To his surprise, there seemed to be no shortage of swords on hand, all of them reminding him of the katanas back home in Japan.

Serveral of them glanced up at his arrival, but went back to eating as Minato and the priest walked to the place where the chef sat, clearly waiting for them to come get some food.

"He looks like he would break apart if you leaned on him too hard." One of the men whispered, glancing at Minato again. "But slender; it would be hard to hit him in a fair fight."

"Do you think he's one of the elven folk?" A nearby priestess asked, lifting her head to stare at the blue-haired teen again. "You know, the ones who were said to have taught humans and dragons how to communicate with one another? The legends did say that they all had such sharp features, and were like living spun glass."

"No, he lacks the ears." The first man shook his head. "Do you think he's from Magvel?"

"**I** think you should both finish your stew before a crow steals your tongues." A second woman nearby said, voice frank. She was the only one of the three Minato could hear, and he turned in confusion after getting his meal. "Didn't your mothers ever teach you it was rude to speak of newcomers as if they were strange objects? Gossip only breeds ill-thoughts and despair." Both of the other speakers winced and went back to their stews, cowed for the moment.

Curious, Minato looked around for a moment before the priest pointed to an empty spot right next to the third speaker. Approaching cautiously, Minato spared her a look as he sat down. She was _tall _for a woman, lose hair going down to her waist and a shade of green so dark Minato almost thought it was black. Her skintone reminded him of Shinjiro-senpai, and she dressed in shades of green and brown. She wore a bow and quiver across her back instead of a sword, and a wolf tattoo wrapped around one of her bare arms.

As he started eating though, a sudden pang of shock and fear hit him. Minato hadn't seen _anyone _from S.E.E.S here; he had no clue where he was or where his comrades were. Granted, he could probably have overlooked Shinjiro in this crowd, but the _others? _He would have been hard pressed to miss Akihiko's silver hair in this crowd. Never mind Hamuko's auburn hair or Mitsuru's scarlet hair; as it was, he doubted anyone else was there, and the soup reminded him too much of the senpai's cooking for his liking. He forced it down anyway, staring at the broth the entire time.

"You're quiet, stranger." The woman next to him spoke up after a moment, making Minato lift his head. She seemed to be watching him, hands folded together for her chin to rest on as she did so, leaning on the table. "Even for a foreigner, your silence is strange; most of the time they come here the air's filled with inane blabbering and they're difficult to get quiet. I've yet to hear you speak a word."

Her voice was making Minato shiver, but he didn't know if it was a shiver of nerves or not yet; he didn't doubt that if he screwed up she'd fill him full of arrows. [I'm sorry, I was just thinking …] He admitted, knowing that she wouldn't understand him. His speaking drew the attention of the others around them, and they stared. Feeling his ears heat up in embarrassment, he ate more of the soup. [And I'm worried … My twin sister doesn't appear to be here.]

Getting ready to ask Pharos if he could meander and see if there was a chance he had missed the rest of S.E.E.S in the mess hall, Minato realized with a jolt that the small boy wasn't nearby. Puzzled, he was relieved when Mot – the Persona of the Death arcana he'd been keeping on hand – lit up, showing him Pharos standing in front of the shrine, a puzzled look on his face. _[That's … odd … I wonder if whatever's in that shrine is part of his past or something.] _thinking to himself, Minato almost missed the fact that the others were trying to question him.

"What language is that, elven kin?" The first speaker from before was talking again, curiosity on his face. "Not even the Ancient Language sounds similar to that; have the elves gone into seclusion and created their own language?"

"The elves vanished when the Ending Winter began." The woman next to Minato countered, taking a sip of her drink. "Whether they died out or vanished with the dragons is unsaid, but there remains no great forest for them to lay claim to."

"Alya, your sharp tongue wound us all." The man spoke up again, frowning. "We were not alive at the time of the Ending Winter, so how are we for certain to know that the elves are no more?"

"When the air is rendered bare of natural magic, it's a safe wager to bet that creatures who live and breathe magic would not survive long." Alya replied, a slender eyebrow arching. "Although if magic could be replaced with hot air, I'm certain you could easily resurrect an entire elven forest yourself, Caspian."

The man blinked, taken aback, but he didn't seem to be able to come up with a retort in time. Minato kept an eye on him, however, quietly finishing his meal before looking around again, still hoping he'd catch a glimpse of _somebody _from S.E.E.S, and that they'd bound over and pull him out of this group of people staring at him.

No dice.

Letting out a sigh, he stared down at the empty bowl in front of him, mind working as he tried to figure out just what to do from that point on. He was stranded somewhere completely foreign, he had no notion of the language or how to get around, his home had been set upon by _dragons _and was probably not going to be standing for much longer, and he was _alone. _

_[… Hamuko … Wherever you are, please … promise me you're safe.] _Minato sighed to himself, shaking his head. He knew his little sister; she would be fine if she landed somewhere where another member of S.E.E.S was present, but if she wound up somewhere alone … She'd probably be scared witless. She'd been that way ever since they had lost their parents ten years ago now … And who knew how else the other members of S.E.E.S would handle it. _[And we're missing four of them back home as is.] _He thought with a jolt, letting more sorrow hit him mentally.

They were most likely all dead.

Yukari would be unarmed – not even her Evoker – even if she was awake when Ikutsuki had unleashed the dragons. As much as Minato liked the girl and viewed her as a good friend … she was best suited to her job as a healer; without the rest of S.E.E.S holding the front lines, Yukari was just a sitting duck in a pink cardigan.

Koromaru would probably have better luck; the dragons seemed to be the traditional, western, fire-breathing dragons, and the Shiba Inu nullified fire thanks to Cerberus. Hell, he was such a small animal the dragons might not notice him right away, but … _[There's no way anything could survive that holocaust for long.] _The blue-haired youth thought with a sigh, letting his forehead hit his hands.

Ken … Minato didn't know what to think about the child. His behavior at times was so unnerving, the elder boy was worried he should stick the young brunet in a mental hospital to get checked out. He and Hamuko had already unearthed Ken's lactose intolerance, and had taken steps towards handling it, but there was something just … off about the way Ken tended to behave sometimes, especially around Shinjiro. Minato had no clue how Ken would fare against the dragons, if he fared well at all.

Shinjiro, however … Minato shook his head. It was all but impossible to get a read on the most elusive of the senpai, but he wasn't blind; unless something could nullify physical damage all together, Shinjiro could most likely hammer at something until it dropped dead. He'd also most likely have the strength to handle a weapon to pierce through scales, but he was awfully slow .. and if he was hit by magic of any sort – did dragon fire count, Minato wondered – he would be long gone.

_[… I'm sorry, everyone …] _Minato thought to himself as he got up, carrying his empty dishes to the cleaning area when he saw others do the same. _[… I failed as the Field Leader of S.E.E.S; I don't know how I'll ever make it up to any of you … if I ever find you guys again.]_

{You don't know for sure if they're dead, do you?} Pharos seemed to have pulled himself away from the shrine at Minato's despair, worry lacing the child's voice.

_[They might as well be.] _The blue-haired teen countered as he left the mess hall. _[Ikutsuki stabbed us all in the back and sent us to a completely different world. I … I don't know where anyone is, or even if we're on the same __**world **__anymore, Pharos. Even then, there's a chance that four of our group are __**dead.**__] _

{I'm … I'm sorry.} Pharos let out a sad sigh, falling into step behind Minato as he walked out of the temple a bit to get some fresh air. {I … I can feel your pain, and your sorrow. It affects me too, in ways I don't fully know. This land is so full of strange powers, it's … almost incredibly empowering.} Minato turned to Pharos at that, face confused. He was met by the pale boy's bright smile and electric blue eyes, Pharos darting ahead a bit before turning to face Minato again. Throwing his arms out to the side with a flourish, he continued speaking, {In fact, I don't think we should give up, Minato! We're still alive, we're still breathing, and I **know **we can find the others if we put our minds to it! This isn't the end, not at all; it's a detour, a change in the flow of fate. We can work things so it goes according to **us, **not to the whims of a mad man who wished to create an eternal Dark Hour!}

Minato just stared at the dark-haired boy, eyes wide, before letting a smile spread across his face. _[You're right, Pharos.] _He admitted, nodding. _[I … I don't know where to begin, but you're right; giving into despair won't solve any of our problems. If we did indeed lose some of our friends, that'll just insult them, and I don't want Shinjiro-senpai angry at me.]_

{Yes; he seems like the type to haunt you from beyond the grave if you angered his ghost.} Pharos admitted with a laugh, smiling and trotting back over to Minato. {And if you ever start to give up, I'll be right here to remind you that you're not allowed to do that. Not until we avoid letting all we know and love slip into despair and fire.} Minato nodded again, noting with a twisted sense of amusement that his social links continued to advance, even in this strange place. He had just hit rank nine of the Death Arcana.

The Arcana of Change.

He found it quite fitting.

About ready to comment on such, Minato nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he was shocked to see it was the woman from the mess hall with the wolf tattoo, her dark eyes focused on his pale ones. "Ah, there you are." She commented. "The rest of us were going to grab some practice swords and work out for a bit; it felt fair to ask if you wanted to join in."

Staring blankly at her for a moment, Minato eventually gave a soft smile and a nod. [Ah, I'm sorry … I wanted some fresh air for a moment. I'll head back inside now.] He replied, temporarily forgetting that the language barrier was still there. He remembered after seeing the confused look on the woman's face.

"... That's it; Mother Earth save me, I'm going to make sure the others teach you how to speak our tongue." She muttered, steering him into the shrine. "But for now, let's see how well you do with whaling against other people with wooden swords." Minato didn't resist her, feeling a bit lost at the whole situation.

Pharos followed behind him, laughing.

* * *

_**Tori's Notes: **I'm aware that Minato's section is shorter than Shinjiro's '7'; I feel somewhat justified in that the former had a bit more ground to cover to get things set up, along with the fact that the majority of this story will be following Minato and Pharos when we hit chapter five. What's gonna happen in Chapter Four? _

_... Honestly if you don't know by now you obviously don't read my closing notes. _

_Anyway, finer details to cover this time!_

_-For the people who haven't played/done research on Fire Emblem: the Binding Blade (FE6, to which Blazing Sword is a prequel), Ekhidna is a Hero unit from that game. She appears here as a six-year-old girl because I can and I figured it'd be funny to explain her love of axes despite being a hero unit in about twenty years._

_-I've done research on just **how **close Spanish and Italian are, only to mixed results. Some people say you can easily understand one if you know the other, others say it's more complicated than that, so I tried to compromise; Shinjiro understands **most **of what's being said to him, but not all of it, and all of his words seem to have a very thick foreign accent to them. _

_-Keep an eye on Pharos; I have plans for that bugger._

_Also a really awesome person started up a page for this story on **TV Tropes. **You can add things as you see fit; just go to the site and put this story's title into the search bar. It should pop up. _

_Now, readers, are you ready to start the **Campaign of Fire? ****  
**_


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